People rest at George Brown Convention Center which has been opened as a shelter in Houston, Texas, the United States, on Aug. 30, 2017. The American Red Cross estimates that more than 17,000 Texans spent Monday night in 45 shelters open across the state, including about 9,000 people at downtown Houston's George Brown Convention Center. (Xinhua/Song Qiong)
HOUSTON Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- As water begins to recedes in Houston, officials warned on Wednesday that health concerns are emerging after major flood.
In a press conference, officials reminded residents to remain clear of flood water which could have dangerous debris, down power lines and snakes. They also reminded residents to stay vigilant to remove standing water to reduce the threat of mosquito-born illnesses.
"Prevention, prevention, prevention is the key," Dr. Humair Shaw, Harris County public health executive director said in the conference. Harris County is where Houston locates.
Shaw said that as much of the county remained underwater, the threats hidden beneath those murky tides have led to several injuries.
"When you expose yourself to flood waters, you put yourself at risk," he said, adding "if you've been exposed to flood water, do whatever you can do to disinfect yourself," he said.
As water begins to recede in most of the flooded roads in Houston, Xinhua correspondent saw there are people playing with flood water on the streets, or even fishing in lakes and rivers where the water level has risen dramatically since Hurricane Harvey made a landfall on Aug. 25 in Gulf Coast area in Texas.
In particular, Shaw asked parents keep their children from playing flood water.
He also addressed the importance of homeowners and business owners cleaning their homes and buildings after they take in water.
