Apply by phone for assistance:
State 1-888-769-7243 Hearing or speech impaired (TTY) NYS Relay 711.
Federal 1-800-621-3362 Hearing or speech impaired (TTY) 1-800-462-7585.
The Tioga Employment Center Resource Room and staff at 1062 Rt 38, Owego, NY, will be available to assist flood victims in applying online for disaster relief assistance. Staff are also available to assist customers who have lost their jobs due to flooding in providing assistance in applying for unemployment benefits and/or providing job search assistance. For more information, call 687-8500.
The NYS Emergency Disaster Grant Team is now open at the Owego Middle School, 3 Sheldon Guile Blvd., Owego, 8am-8pm daily starting July 7 open through the weekend and into next week. Information/assistance for flood disaster relief and other community resources available to flood victims.
Wells may have loose or faulty well caps or damaged well casings, which allow contaminated flood water to enter the well. Dug wells or cisterns generally have inadequate protection against surface water and are easily contaminated.
After a flood, it is important to test wells for fecal coliform, even if the well was tested shortly before the flooding. If the well is contaminated, it must be disinfected before the water can be used for drinking, cooking or washing.
Septic systems rely on soil to treat the sewage effluent (liquid waste). If the soil has become saturated, untreated effluent can rise to the ground surface or bypass the system altogether, creating the potential for contaminating drinking water wells or for people to come into contact with the untreated effluent during activities in the area of the septic system. The septic system leach field (soil treatment area) should be allowed to dry out before the system is used again.
Detailed information on private drinking water wells can be found at the Environmental Protection Agency website.
The Cornell Cooperative Extension Water Quality website has addition information including the EPA Home Owner's Guide to Septic Systems.
In general, fruits and vegetables that were immature at the time of flooding should be safe to eat by the time they are ready to harvest. For additional safety, wash them thoroughly and cook before eating.
Unless flooding was light and there is no danger of bacterial contamination from floodwater, do not use fruits and vegetables that were ready for harvest at the time of flooding.
Leafy vegetables such as lettuce, cabbage, mustard, kale, collards, spinach, Swiss chard, and celery; fleshy vegetables such as tomatoes, summer squash, and peppers; and berry fruits such as strawberries are highly susceptible to bacterial contamination. Silt and other contaminants may be imbedded in the leaves, petioles, stems, or other natural openings of fleshy structures and can be difficult to remove. Do not use if your plants were mature when flooded.
Root, bulb, and tuber crops such as beets, carrots, radishes, turnips, onions, and potatoes are less susceptible to bacterial contamination. Disinfect these vegetables as described below. Then peel and cook them thoroughly before eating.
Produce with a protected fruit or impervious outer skin such as peas, melons, eggplant, sweet corn, or winter squash should be washed and disinfected before the outer shell skin or husk is removed. Then shell, peel, or husk the produce and cook before eating.
To disinfect produce, wash it in clean, potable water with a scrub brush. Be sure to remove all silt. Then immerse the produce in a weak chlorine solution for 15 to 20 minutes. Rinse thoroughly with safe drinking water.
Household bleaches contain from 2 to 6 percent chlorine. The amount of bleach to add to water depends on the percentage of chlorine it contains. For 2 percent chlorine use ¾ tablespoon per quart. For 4 percent chlorine, use 1 teaspoon per quart. For 6 percent chlorine, use ½ teaspoon per quart.
In addition, there is information available from the NIOSH website on the prevention of carbon monoxide poisoning which is often the result of incorrect use of small gasoline-powered engines and tools.