{"id":21531,"date":"2024-10-07T10:37:44","date_gmt":"2024-10-07T14:37:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/richmond-city\/?p=21531"},"modified":"2026-05-19T10:13:30","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T14:13:30","slug":"recovering-from-helene","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/richmond-city\/2024\/10\/07\/recovering-from-helene\/","title":{"rendered":"Recovering from Helene\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Extreme weather has caused so much damage this week. RHHD sends admiration and gratitude to our extraordinary public health colleagues working around the region to help people stay safe in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. Check out public health websites to learn more about recovery efforts and needs\u00a0in\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/2024-regional-news-releases\/lenowisco-and-cumberland-plateau-health-districts-offer-free-tdap-vaccines\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Southwest Virginia<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncdhhs.gov\/assistance\/hurricane-helene-recovery-resources\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">North Carolina<\/a>, and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tn.gov\/tdot\/projects\/projects-region-1\/hurricane-helene-recovery.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Tennessee<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What is my main problem?\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In Richmond and Henrico, our main problem following Helene is the safety of our natural waterways.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/2024-news-releases\/virginia-department-of-health-advises-virginians-to-avoid-natural-water-bodies-after-tropical-cyclone-helene\/#:~:text=RICHMOND,%20Va.%20%E2%80%93%20The%20Virginia%20Department%20of%20Health%20advises%20the\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">VDH<\/a>\u00a0explains that strong wind and heavy rain can lead to pollution and debris in natural bodies of water. That pollution can include animal waste and untreated wastewater, which make swimming or submerging in natural water unsafe.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What do I need to do?\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>You should avoid contact with natural water\u2014like rivers, lakes, and oceans\u2014for at least three days after heavy rains and wind. And you can follow other recommendations for safe swimming practices:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Don\u2019t swallow untreated water and avoid swimming if you have open cuts.<\/li>\n<li>Wash your hands regularly and shower immediately after swimming in natural water.<\/li>\n<li>Follow any\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/environmental-health\/public-health-toxicology\/fish-consumption-advisory\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">fish consumption advisories<\/a>\u00a0if you plan to catch and eat fish from natural waterways.<\/li>\n<li>Learn more about safe swimming practices at\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/environmental-health\/environmental-health-services\/swim-healthy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Swim Healthy Virginia<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Why is it important for me to do this?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Spending time in Virginia\u2019s rivers, oceans, and lakes should be fun and relaxing, not illness-inducing!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Extreme weather has caused so much damage this week. RHHD sends admiration and gratitude to our extraordinary public health colleagues working around the region to help people stay safe in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":590,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"no","footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21531","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog"],"modified_by":"bryanhooten","yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Recovering from Helene\u00a0 - Richmond City Health Department<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/richmond-city\/2024\/10\/07\/recovering-from-helene\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Recovering from Helene\u00a0 - Richmond City Health Department\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Extreme weather has caused so much damage this week. 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