Will Hurricane Sandy cause an epidemic in NYC?

I've never been to NYC but have always heard how polluted the rivers were. I recall George Carlin saying how the kids in his neighborhood didn't get polio because they had strong immune systems from swimming in raw sewage/the Hudson River. Now granted, he is just kidding but he still makes me think, RIP George. He would surely consider Sandy the "perfect" type of storm. (Skip to about 2:40)

www.youtube.com...=165s

So I went looking into how polluted the Hudson River actually was this evening, then learned how polluted the East River is and THEN I read about Newtown Creek.. I had never heard of Newtown Creek as I am just not from NYC I guess, if anyone else is unfamiliar with Newtown Creek its some interesting reading..

You take those 3 heavily polluted water systems + the sewers overflowing + rats and other type of vermon scurrying above ground and that is what the streets are covered in. The "freshwater" is always going to be on top of the saltwater hence the last to drain. 100's of thousands of people will be crammed tightly into shelters & school gyms and they're all walking in from this disgusting water. Here are a few possibilities of diseases I think we could start seeing outbreaks of very quickly in NYC?

Rats & mice can spread: Salmonella, Leptospirosis, Murine Typhus, Tapeworms, Rat-bite Fever & god forbid Bubonic Plague.

Flood Disease: E.coli, Cholera, Typhoid & according to this article, in the case of New Orleans after Katrina those were not the main ones to worry about however I am not sure about in NYC.
This article states the major disease threats from flooding are:
Meningococcal meningitis, Hepatitis A (and perhaps hepatitis B, while less likely), Influenza & Enterovirus.

Here is the link, good article:
www.americanfamilysafety.com...

and last but certainly not least,

Waterborne diseases which are just to many to list. I will link the wiki though so you guys can get the idea. Oh! The possibilities!

en.wikipedia.org...

I am not trying to fear monger at all, I am wondering what the real risk of this is. Was the evacuation zone A. large enough? Now that we see the extent of the flooding has exceeded what seemed to be the worse case scenario should most people be evacuating the city for awhile, if capable?

reply to post by 1/2 Nephilim


I'd sure think anyone who has the slightest opportunity to get clear of the City and have a few days away, it'd be a dandy time. The radios overnight and now...not hearing it getting better with daylight..leave a bleak picture indeed. I hope they have that power restored by sun down. 9/11 at least had a spirit of common purpose and the power outtage after that, still getting some benefit. It sure isn't sounding like much common purpose and goodwill out there now.

A couple of links I wanted to share pertaining to this.

www.telegraph.co.uk...


www.hlntv.com...


peoplewithme.com...