Another part of Hurricane Katrina's legacy will be the predicted public health crisis. (Photo: Xinhua/AFP)

    BEIJING, Sep. 1 (Xinhuanet)-- Nightmare of flood victims will continue even after the deadly Hurricane Katrina has gone away, US healthy authorities have warned.

    "The next few days, staying hydrated is the big thing and avoiding consuming contaminated foods and water. ... If you can do that, you're probably OK for a week," said Dr. Joseph Guarisco, chairman of the Department of Emergency Medicine at the Ochsner Clinic Foundation in New Orleans.

    The floodwaters whipped up by the devastating storm carried a potentially lethal cocktail of toxic chemicals, gasoline and human waste.

    Consumption, or in some cases simple contact with such highly contaminated water, can result in diseases and ailments ranging from severe gastrointestinal illness to skin rashes and allergies.

    Particularly at risk are older people and children suffering from chronic dehydration as a result of the absence of clean drinking water and the heat and humidity of the affected region along the US Gulf coast.

    "And don't forget, that's also mosquito country," Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association, was quoted as saying by AFP. "So before long, you're going to get large numbers of mosquitos breeding on the water and spreading mosquito-borne disease."

    On Tuesday, the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality issued an emergency declaration in order to try and speed up disaster-recovery efforts across the state.

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    The US military is also sending medical help, including the Navy hospital ship USNS Comfort, which is set to depart Baltimore, Maryland, to reach the region in about seven days. Four ships from Norfolk, Virginia, are being loaded with food, soap, and medical supplies to arrive in the area in about five days.

    In the coming weeks, as the population begins physically to reconstruct, the need for mental reinforcement will be key, too, said Dr. Irwin Redlener, head of Columbia University's National Center for Disaster Preparedness.

    US President George W. Bush predicted Wednesday that it will be a long time before the country could fully recover from the devastating Hurricane Katrina. Enditem

    (Agencies)