The governor's office warned those on private wells Friday that the heavy rain possible with Tropical Storm Hanna and Hurricane Ike can wreak havoc on those systems.

State environmental health officials said flooded public and private wells, flooded treatment plants and pressure losses from broken lines and lost electrical power greatly increase the risk from contaminated water.

“If you lose power, conserve water until you know your water system is up and running,” said Jessica Miles, chief of the Public Water Supply section in the N.C. Division of Environmental Health. “If public water supplies lost power, too, they may be operating on limited emergency systems until power is restored and testing is performed. There are certain steps you can follow to protect your health and the health of your family if water pressure to your house was lost or the well has been flooded.”

Steps to take may include boiling all water used for drinking, cooking, brushing teeth, making ice and washing hands for one minute, or using bottled or stored water.