Pest and infection control

01 — Infection prevention in group shelters

Close quarters, shared surfaces, and limited sanitation are the ingredients for rapid disease transmission. Handwashing and surface disinfection are the primary defenses.

When a household evacuates to a group shelter, the infection risk changes fundamentally. Instead of managing hygiene for your own family in a controlled environment, you are sharing space, surfaces, bathrooms, and sometimes utensils with dozens or hundreds of strangers. Respiratory illnesses (influenza, COVID-19, common cold) and gastrointestinal illnesses (norovirus, rotavirus) spread rapidly in these conditions.

• Handwashing: Wash hands with soap and water before eating, after using the bathroom, and after touching shared surfaces (door handles, tables, railings). If soap and water are unavailable, use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol for all situations except after using the toilet (soap and water required).
• Surface disinfection: Wipe down your family's sleeping area, cot frames, and any surfaces you use regularly with disinfecting wipes or a dilute bleach solution. Shared bathrooms are the highest-risk surfaces in any shelter.
• Respiratory hygiene: Cough and sneeze into your elbow, not your hands. If anyone in your family develops respiratory symptoms, isolate as much as possible within the shelter space. A cloth mask or N95 reduces transmission to others.
• Food safety: Do not share utensils, cups, or water bottles with people outside your household. If food is served communally, wash hands before and after eating.
• Personal belongings: Keep personal items (bedding, clothing, hygiene supplies) within your assigned space and do not share towels, pillows, or blankets.

02 — Rodent prevention

Seal food, seal trash, block entry points, and eliminate water sources. Once rodents establish access, they breed faster than you can trap them.

Rodents are attracted to three things: food, water, and shelter. An extended disruption with accumulated trash, compromised structures, and stored food provides all three. The health risks are substantial: rodents carry hantavirus, leptospirosis, salmonella, and plague, and their urine and droppings contaminate surfaces and food.

• Food storage: Store all food in sealed hard containers (glass, metal, thick plastic with locking lids). Mice can chew through cardboard, thin plastic bags, and even some soft plastic containers. Transfer opened packages of rice, flour, cereal, and pet food into rodent-proof containers immediately.
• Trash management: Seal all trash, especially food waste, in bags inside rigid containers with tight lids. Do not allow trash bags to sit on the floor or ground where rodents can access them.
• Entry point blocking: Mice can enter through gaps as small as a quarter inch (roughly the diameter of a pencil). Inspect the exterior of your home for gaps around pipes, vents, utility entries, door frames, and foundation joints. Fill small gaps with steel wool packed tightly, then caulk over it. Rodents cannot chew through steel wool.
• Water elimination: Fix dripping faucets, empty pet water bowls overnight, and eliminate any standing water sources. Rodents need water daily and will not establish nests far from a water source.

03 — Mosquito control after flooding

Eliminate all standing water. Mosquitoes can breed in as little as a bottle cap of water, and larvae develop into biting adults in as few as 5 days.

After a flood or heavy rain, mosquito populations surge. Floodwater mosquitoes hatch from eggs deposited in soil during previous floods, sometimes producing enormous numbers within days of the water's arrival. While most floodwater mosquitoes are nuisance species that do not commonly transmit disease, the standing water they leave behind creates breeding habitat for species that carry West Nile virus, dengue, and other infections.

The CDC's primary recommendation for household mosquito control is source reduction: eliminating the standing water where mosquitoes breed.

• Once a week, empty and scrub, turn over, cover, or throw out any item that holds water: tires, buckets, toys, flowerpot saucers, birdbaths, tarps, gutters, and trash containers.
• Tightly cover water storage containers (buckets, rain barrels, cisterns) with fine mesh or sealed lids so mosquitoes cannot access the water surface to lay eggs.
• Clear clogged gutters and drains. Gutters that hold even a thin layer of water become continuous mosquito nurseries.
• Change water in pet bowls, livestock troughs, and birdbaths at least every 3 days.
• Fill tree holes, low spots in the yard, and any permanent depressions that collect rainwater.

For personal protection when mosquitoes are active: use EPA-registered insect repellent containing DEET, picaridin, IR3535, or oil of lemon eucalyptus. Wear long sleeves and pants during peak mosquito hours (dawn and dusk). Use window and door screens, or sleep under mosquito netting if screens are damaged or unavailable.

04 — Bed bug awareness during evacuation

Inspect before you settle in. Bed bugs hitchhike on luggage and clothing, and a single introduction can create a months-long infestation in your home.

When evacuating to a shelter, hotel, or temporary housing, the risk of encountering bed bugs increases significantly. Bed bugs are not a sign of poor hygiene; they are opportunistic parasites that feed on human blood and travel by hitchhiking on luggage, clothing, and bedding. A few simple precautions prevent them from following you home.

• Inspect the sleeping area before settling in: Check mattress seams, headboard crevices, box spring edges, and the frame joints for small brown bugs (about the size of an apple seed), dark spots (fecal stains), tiny white eggs, or shed skins. Use a flashlight for a thorough inspection.
• Keep belongings off the floor and bed: Place luggage on a hard surface (desk, bathroom tile floor, luggage rack with hard legs) rather than on the carpet, bed, or upholstered furniture. Bed bugs climb fabric and soft surfaces more easily than smooth, hard ones.
• Seal clothing in plastic bags: Store clothing inside sealed plastic bags, even while in use. This prevents bed bugs from accessing your clothing as a transportation vehicle.
• When you return home: Wash and dry all clothing, bedding, and soft items on the highest heat setting your fabric allows. Bed bugs and their eggs are killed by sustained heat above 120°F. A standard household dryer on the high setting reaches this temperature. Run the dryer for at least 30 minutes.
• Inspect luggage before bringing it inside. Vacuum suitcases thoroughly and wipe hard-sided cases with a damp cloth. If possible, leave luggage in a garage or on a porch for inspection rather than bringing it directly into bedrooms.