Hurricane effects pose tremendous health hazards for Americans, doctor warns

As another hurricane threatens the U.S., the aftermath of Hurricane Helene still poses major threats.Americans in areas of the country that were devastated by the storm may face numerous health risks.Fox News senior medical analyst Dr.Marc Siegel joined “Fox Report Weekend” to discuss the severity of the damage, including people being injured and displaced from their homes, as well as 350,000 residents in North Carolina and Georgia who are still without power.“People are displaced, people are in shelters, pets are in shelters, roads are damaged, the infrastructure’s going to take months or years to fix,” he said. “And that means post-traumatic stress disorder for people.

That means anxiety.”In addition to mental health concerns, Siegel emphasized that public health has become an issue following the storm, noting the shortage of clean water.The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has brought 7.5 million liters of water to affected areas, but it’s “not nearly enough,” according to the doctor.“Many people are without water,” Siegel said.“Many people have water that they’re worried could be contaminated.”While dehydration is a threat, Siegel cautioned that drinking contaminated water can lead to dysentery and diarrheal diseases.“People [ingest] bacteria, they get sick, then they get dehydrated, then they don’t have water,” he said.According to Aquasana, a maker of water filtration systems, boiling contaminated water can help kill off harmful bacteria and solids, but won’t remove other substances like chlorine or lead.Even so, Siegel mentioned that some Americans might not have the ability to boil their water.“There’s a tremendous amount of health risks going on right now,” he said.“The hospitals are overwhelmed in these areas, and we’re talking in Appalachia, very rural areas, where there isn’t a lot of medical care to begin with.”Lack of medication and proper medical care is another risk, as well ...