BATON ROUGE, La. – If you are cleaning out your home and removing flood-damaged materials, be aware of potentially hazardous wastes and dispose of them properly.

Hazardous waste should always be separated from non-hazardous materials. Types of hazardous waste includes:

• Cleaning products such as bleach, ammonia, and polishes

• Pesticides and repellants

• Automotive fluids

• Paints, varnishes, and solvents

• Batteries, fluorescent lightbulbs, and items containing mercury

• Fire starters, accelerants, and other flammable items

Materials contaminated with flammable products should be separated from all other waste and stored in a well-ventilated area. If stored outdoors, flammable materials should be placed in a covered, fire-resistant container to prevent soil or groundwater contamination.

In the case of a chemical or oil spill, survivors are encouraged to call local authorities before contacting the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) at 1-888-763-5424.

Specific instructions for all waste removal, including hazardous waste removal, are available at the DEQ website at http://www.deq.louisiana.gov/portal.

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FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.  Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/femaregion6 and the FEMA Blog at http://blog.fema.gov.

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is the federal government’s primary source of money for the long-term rebuilding of disaster-damaged private property. SBA helps businesses of all sizes, private non-profit organizations, homeowners and renters fund repairs or rebuilding efforts and cover the cost of replacing lost or disaster-damaged personal property. These disaster loans cover losses not fully compensated by insurance or other recoveries and do not duplicate benefits of other agencies or organizations. For more information, applicants may contact SBA’s Disaster Assistance Customer Service Center by calling (800) 659-2955, emailing disastercustomerservice@sba.gov, or visiting SBA’s website at SBA.gov/disaster Deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals may call (800) 877-8339.