Yesterday's floods causing extra safety today in Ganado

    The town of Ganado is still playing it safe, having had around 12 inches of rainfall in the past 24 hours. Mayor Clinton Tegeler said the National Weather Service expected Ganado and surrounding areas to still get 10 inches or more in rain, but with what officials have seen around town, believe the town won’t be getting too much more rain.
    “We’re not putting our guard down, but as long as we don’t see significant rainfall again we should be good,” Tegeler said. “The waters have gone down significantly since Wednesday evening so our main concern is what we get from here.”
    The best thing to go after a flood is avoid moving water and flood water in general because the water may be contaminated by oil, gas or sewage. Water can also be electrically charged from underground or downed power lines. Use caution when entering buildings and watch out for hidden damage, especially in foundations.
    If you are away from home return only when authorities indicate it is safe to. Clean and disinfect everything that got wet because mud left from floodwater can contain sewage and chemicals.
    Curtis Martin, Public Works Director, said the north side of Ganado is still under a large part of water, towards the lake. “Everything north of the railroad track was blocked on Wednesday so precautions still need to be made,” he said. “Be aware of the areas where flood water have receded, the roads could have weakened.”
    Floods and flash floods can occur in any state, and any area. They are the most common and widespread of all natural disasters next to a fire, so knowledge and preparation is very important to keep losses to a minimum.