Boil water advisory issued for east bank of New Orleans

Sidney Holmes

**updated at 10:40 a.m. on Jan. 18**

The entire east bank of Orleans and Jefferson parishes is under a precautionary boil water advisory until further notice, the Sewerage & Water Board announced Thursday morning.

This advisory comes as an expansion of the advisory issued on Wednesday, Jan. 17, for areas east of the Industrial Canal.

In a news release, the Sewerage & Water Board said that the water pressure dropped below the safety threshold at Drainage Pump Stations on the east bank.

An alert from Loyola’s office of emergency management sent Thursday morning reminded students not to use tap water, as well as giving other basic tips on how to handle the situation.

These include:

Do not consume tap water unless you properly boil it first. Do not consume water from drinking fountains.

· Use bottled or boiled water to drink, cook, brush teeth, and mix baby formula.

· Wash fruits and vegetables with bottled or boiled water.

· Don’t use ice from ice trays or ice makers. Make new ice with bottled or boiled water.

· To be safe, give your pets bottled or boiled water.

Boil water safely for safety. Here’s how:

1. Heat water until large bubbles come from the bottom to the top of the pot.

2. Let the water boil for at least 1 minute.

3. Turn off the stove and let the water cool.

4. Store the water in a clean container with a cover.

5. Add a pinch of salt and shake to improve the taste.

6. If there is a flat taste, consider vigorously stirring the water or pouring from one container to another.

Be careful bathing, especially with open wounds.

· If you’re a healthy adult, you can bathe or shower with tap water. Be careful not to swallow any water.

· Give babies and young children a sponge bath or use boiled water to bathe.

· If you have open wounds or a weakened immune system, use boiled water to bathe.

· Use hand sanitizer after washing hands.

Use precautions when cleaning around the workplace or home.

· Wash countertops and tables with boiled water.

· Use a rinse temperature of 150° F or a sanitize cycle on your dishwasher.

· Wash dishes by hand as usual. Then soak in mixture of 1 gallon of water and 1 teaspoon of bleach for 1 minute.

· Do laundry as usual.