A Typical Scenario: A Sala Hall Beside the Yom River in Sukhothai

(A typical scenario based on situations we commonly encounter. Names and details are illustrative.)

Auntie Sri sits on the committee of a village temple beside the Yom River in Sukhothai. The temple stands on slightly higher ground than the surrounding houses. When the Yom burst its banks, dozens of homes flooded up to the windows, and villagers evacuated to the sala kan parian, the temple's large raised wooden preaching hall, carrying whatever they could grab. Among them were small children, elderly people, two or three bedridden patients and the families' dogs and cats.

For two weeks, that single hall sheltered more than a hundred people. Everyone slept side by side on mats on the wooden floor and shared the temple's handful of toilets. The kitchen cooked three meals a day from donations. Rain blew in through the open sides almost every night, and blankets and mats never quite dried. Nobody complained, because everyone knew this was the best place to be.

By the end of the first week, several children had coughs and runny noses. A few days later, adults had the same. Two elderly villagers developed fevers and had to be taken to the sub-district health promoting hospital. At one point several families had diarrhoea at the same time after eating food left out on a hot, humid day. Children who played in the floodwater developed red eyes and itchy rashes on their legs. The village health volunteers were constantly handing out medicine and taking people to see doctors.

When the water receded and villagers went home, the hall was left in a state Auntie Sri had never seen. The floorboards were streaked with mud, food scraps were lodged between planks, the temple's mats and sitting cushions had black spots, and the whole building smelled of damp mixed with animal urine. The toilets reeked and the kitchen had greasy residue and a sour smell. In just a few weeks it would be the end of Buddhist Lent and the Kathin robe-offering ceremony, when people from several villages would fill the hall.

Auntie Sri and the committee scrubbed for days, yet the musty smell lingered. Some monks who came down to the hall for morning and evening chanting developed persistent coughs. Everyone was asking the same question: how could the hall that is the heart of the village become clean and safe enough for children and grandparents to sit in again with peace of mind?

Why Crowded Shelters Are Hotspots for Disease

Temporary shelters in temples, schools and halls stack several risk factors together: many people in close contact around the clock, poor ventilation, high humidity from rain and surrounding water, too few toilets for the number of people, limited clean water and soap, food cooked in bulk and sometimes left standing, bodies exhausted by lack of sleep and stress, and pets living alongside people. These conditions allow several groups of disease to spread quickly.

Illnesses commonly seen in flood shelters

• Respiratory infections such as colds, influenza and other viral respiratory illnesses, spread through droplets from coughing, sneezing and close conversation, and via contaminated surfaces like handrails, shared cups and mats. Symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose and body aches.
• Gastrointestinal illness such as diarrhoea and food poisoning, from contaminated food and water or unwashed hands after using the toilet. Some intestinal viruses spread very easily via toilet and kitchen surfaces. Symptoms include diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting and stomach pain, which are dangerous for young children and older adults because of dehydration.
• Conjunctivitis (pink eye), spread by hands that touch eye discharge and by shared items such as handkerchiefs, towels and pillows.
• Skin infections and "water-rotted feet" from long immersion, damp skin and fungal growth between the toes.
• Leptospirosis for people who repeatedly wade back to check their homes. Symptoms include sudden high fever, headache, muscle pain especially in the calves, and red eyes. Seek medical care promptly.
• Allergy and asthma flare-ups from mold spores growing on damp mats, blankets, cushions and wooden floors.

Who in a shelter is most vulnerable

Take special care of older people, especially bedridden patients lying on the floor; infants and young children, whose immunity is still developing and who put their hands in their mouths; pregnant women; people with chronic illnesses such as diabetes, high blood pressure, kidney or lung disease; people who fled without their regular medication; people with disabilities; and elderly monks and novices who live at the temple permanently. Monks and volunteers running the shelter are also at high risk because they meet large numbers of people every day.

Germs don't leave with the evacuees

After a shelter closes, germs and allergens remain: in gaps between floorboards, in damp mats and cushions, in heavily used toilets, in kitchens with food residue and in the stale, humid air of the building. Post-flood humidity makes mold grow fast. The WHO and CDC advise cleaning and drying wet areas within 24 to 48 hours to limit mold, which is almost impossible in a shelter occupied day and night. That is why restoration after closure must be thorough before the space returns to merit-making ceremonies, village meetings or classes.

Remember: anyone with high fever, heavy coughing, difficulty breathing, severe diarrhoea or suspected leptospirosis needs prompt care from a doctor or public health officer. Ozone treats the space, not illness, and it does not replace handwashing, isolating the sick, or providing clean food and drinking water.

What Happens When Shared Spaces Aren't Properly Restored

1. The health of the whole community

Temples and halls are shared by the entire community. If mold and germs linger, everyone who comes for ceremonies, meetings or lessons may be affected. Elderly people sitting for long sermons on the hall floor breathe the damp air directly, and children playing in the temple grounds and sitting on the floor are easily exposed. A small outbreak that began in the shelter can spread back through the whole village.

2. Costs borne by the temple and community

Most temples maintain their buildings through donations. If mold is left to eat into floorboards, pillars, curtains, sitting cushions and scripture cabinets, later repairs or replacement cost many times more than early restoration. Shared equipment such as mats, blankets, tents, tables and chairs that becomes too moldy to use must all be replaced before the next big annual event.

3. Time and postponed ceremonies

The weeks after floods often coincide with the end of Buddhist Lent and the Kathin season, important events planned well in advance. If the hall is unusable, the temple may have to postpone or move ceremonies into tents. Schools used as shelters may delay reopening, and sub-district or municipal halls cannot host meetings or public services.

4. Faith and the confidence of worshippers

A temple is a spiritual refuge. Worshippers expect a calm, clean and safe place. If they are met by musty smells, see mold stains or hear that people fell ill after attending, the experience is spoiled, and families with small children or elderly relatives may choose to stay away.

5. The burden on flood-affected families

Families who have just been flooded already have enough to deal with: repairing homes, cleaning and earning a living. If a family member falls ill from something caught at the shelter, or from returning to a shared space that is still contaminated, it adds to both financial and time pressures. Caring for shared spaces properly is an important indirect way of helping villagers recover.

Why Ordinary Cleaning Isn't Enough for Halls and Shelters

• Sweeping and mopping with water or floor cleaner. The floor looks clean, but old wooden floors have many gaps and joints. Food scraps, animal urine and moisture seep into places a mop never reaches.
• Pouring strong bleach. It can damage wooden floors and painted pillars, and chlorine fumes in a poorly ventilated building sting the eyes and nose, especially for elderly monks and people with asthma. Bleach also doesn't penetrate thick mats, cushions and fabrics, and must never be mixed with acidic or ammonia-based toilet cleaners.
• Only sun-drying mats and cushions. Sunlight helps, but in the rainy season items rarely dry completely, and the insides of thick cushions stay damp. Brought back indoors, they grow mold again.
• Burning incense or spraying fragrance to cover the smell. Scent masks mustiness for a while but does not deal with germs, and incense smoke in a closed building adds another respiratory irritant.
• Leaving doors and windows open and waiting. During continuous rain, outside air is just as humid, so the building dries slowly and mold keeps growing.
• Painting over mold on walls and ceilings. The stain disappears briefly and then returns, along with peeling paint.
• Cleaning only what is visible. Areas under the preaching seat, behind scripture cabinets, under the roof, in storerooms and in dark corners of the monks' quarters are often overlooked, yet they collect the most moisture and contamination.

Large, heavily used shared buildings need thorough cleaning, proper drying and a step that reaches the air and every corner of the building.

WHD Ozone Disinfection for Temples, Halls and Shelters

World Health Disinfection (WHD) provides residential and building ozone disinfection for homes, condos, hotels, offices, factories, schools and hospitals, as well as shared community buildings. For temples and shelters, ozone fits two moments: after the shelter closes, once all evacuees have gone home, and during operation using zone rotation where there are several buildings, moving everyone to another building temporarily and treating only the empty one, such as toilets, the kitchen or the donation store. In every case it follows mud removal, cleaning and drying. Ozone does not replace cleaning, drying or medical care.

How ozone helps

Ozone (O₃) is a strong oxidising gas. Spread through a closed building, it breaks down the cell structures of viruses, bacteria and mold, and breaks apart odour molecules such as mustiness, animal urine and mud. It then reverts to oxygen (O₂), leaving no chemical residue on wooden floors, Buddha images, the preaching seat or scripture cabinets. As a gas, it reaches floorboard gaps, under the preaching seat, behind cabinets, under the roof and dark corners that cloths cannot.

According to the test results certified for the company, WHD's service has been tested and certified by Thailand's Department of Medical Sciences and Intertek (UK) for eliminating viruses, bacteria and mold by 99.99%. See the certification documents.

The shared-space ozone process

1. Coordination and survey. The team talks with the abbot, temple committee or shelter coordinator and surveys every building, such as the sala hall, ordination hall, monks' quarters, kitchen, toilets and donation store, then divides them into zones.
2. Preparation. Everyone leaves the zone, including monks and novices living in that building. Dogs, cats, birds, fish and potted plants are removed, doors and windows closed, and cabinets or inner rooms opened as advised.
3. Ozone release. Generators fill the closed building with gas.
4. Contact time. Ozone reacts for the specified period, typically about 30 minutes per zone; large buildings may be split into several zones.
5. Rest and ventilation. The ozone reverts to oxygen, then doors and windows are opened to ventilate before anyone returns, following the team's instructions.
6. Handover and advice. The team summarises the work and advises on ongoing humidity control and cleaning.

Safety is non-negotiable: ozone treatment takes place only in an empty, closed building or room. No people, monks, novices, animals or plants may remain inside during treatment. Every side room must be checked before starting, because in a shelter an elderly person or child may be asleep in a corner. Re-entry is allowed only after the rest and ventilation period.

Promotion: for ozone jobs of 15,000 baht or more, receive a free medical-grade disinfectant spray for shared touchpoints such as handrails, toilet door handles and donation tables.

10 Reasons Temples and Communities Choose WHD Ozone After a Shelter Closes

1. Suited to large shared buildings. The gas spreads through high-ceilinged, wide halls.
2. Reaches floorboard gaps and hidden corners, under the preaching seat, behind scripture cabinets, storerooms and roof spaces.
3. No chemical film on Buddha images and offerings. Ozone reverts to oxygen, so there is no residue to wipe from objects of devotion.
4. Tackles mustiness, animal urine and mud odours at the source instead of covering them with incense or perfume. Read more about our ozone disinfection service.
5. Supports heavily used toilets and kitchens after cleaning, reducing residual germs where gastrointestinal risk is highest.
6. Backed by testing. According to the company's certified results from the Department of Medical Sciences and Intertek (UK), 99.99% elimination of viruses, bacteria and mold.
7. Quick cycles, about 30 minutes per zone, helping you prepare the hall in time for end-of-Lent and Kathin ceremonies.
8. Zoned around temple routines, planned so morning and evening chanting are not disrupted and monks can stay in another building temporarily.
9. A professional team that respects sacred spaces, handling safety carefully. Consult us via the building ozone service page.
10. Continuing care, alongside Chemgene disinfectant or our disinfection service for shared touchpoints, plus a free medical-grade spray on jobs from 15,000 baht.

Example Case: A Community Hall in Hat Yai Used as a Shelter

(An illustrative example case, not a named customer review.)

Mee is a local official responsible for a multipurpose community hall in Hat Yai, Songkhla. After days of heavy rain flooded the city, the hall became a temporary shelter for ten days, housing dozens of families: children, older people and migrant workers whose rented rooms had flooded. Six toilets served the whole shelter, and one corner of the hall became a cooking area.

During operation, public health staff visited regularly, moved people with fever or diarrhoea into a small side room and set up handwashing points with soap. Even so, cases of colds and pink eye kept appearing. When the water receded and the shelter closed, the hall smelled strongly musty, curtains had mold, folding-chair cushions were stained and damp, and the toilets kept their odour even after scrubbing.

Mee planned the recovery with volunteers. Donated mats and bedding too damp to keep were removed for disposal, curtains were taken down for washing, floors and toilets were scrubbed, the cooking area was cleaned, and fans and dehumidifiers ran until the building was dry. Only then did he contact WHD to ozone-treat the hall, toilets and donation store, with the whole building closed, every room checked for people, and re-entry only after the ventilation period.

In this example, the hall regained fresh air without lingering odour in time for the community's monthly meeting. Mee also proposed a plan for the next shelter: clear sleeping, food and isolation zones; wipe-clean plastic mats instead of fabric ones; and rotating ozone treatment of toilet blocks during operation, moving users to other toilets temporarily. The key lesson: preventing disease while people are present relies on handwashing, isolating the sick and clean food; ozone is a supporting tool for restoring spaces once they are empty.

Checklist for Temples and Shelters: During Operation and After Closure

While the shelter is open

• Space out sleeping areas and set aside a separate area for anyone with fever, cough or diarrhoea.
• Set up handwashing points with soap near toilets and the kitchen, and remind people to wash before eating and after the toilet.
• Cook food thoroughly, serve it promptly, avoid leaving it standing and use clean drinking water.
• Clean toilets and shared touchpoints several times a day.
• Keep pets in a dedicated area, not sleeping among people.
• Coordinate with public health staff or village health volunteers for regular visits, and help people with chronic illness get their medication.

After closure, before ozone

• Remove damp or soiled mats, bedding and donations; sort what can be washed from what must be discarded.
• Clear mud, scrub floors, wash toilets and clean the kitchen thoroughly.
• Ventilate and run fans and dehumidifiers until floorboards and walls are dry.
• Check for rats and signs of animals and deal with them appropriately.

On ozone day

• Inform monks, novices and temple residents in advance and arrange temporary lodging in another building.
• Check every side room for people, animals and plants, then close doors and windows.
• Post no-entry signs and have volunteers guard entrances during treatment.
• Return only after the team confirms the rest and ventilation period is complete.

After ozone

• Ventilate regularly and keep checking spots that previously grew mold.
• Make sure mats, cushions and fabrics are completely dry before storing.
• Draw up a shelter plan for the next flood with the community and local authorities.
• Anyone still unwell after leaving the shelter should see a doctor.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can the hall be treated while evacuees are still staying there?
A: Absolutely not. Everyone must leave the building or zone being treated and may return only after the rest and ventilation period. Treatment during operation requires a backup building where evacuees can stay temporarily.

Q: Will ozone damage Buddha images, monks' robes or scripture cabinets?
A: The team surveys and advises before starting. If there are antiques or items needing special care, tell the team in advance so they can be moved or handled appropriately.

Q: If we use ozone, can we skip scrubbing the floor?
A: No. Mud must be removed and the space scrubbed and dried first. Ozone is an added step that deals with residual germs and odours after cleaning.

Q: Does it prevent outbreaks in shelters?
A: Ozone reduces residual germs in empty spaces, but preventing disease while people are present depends mainly on handwashing, isolating the sick, clean food and water, and public health guidance.

Q: Our hall is very large. How long will it take?
A: A typical cycle is about 30 minutes per zone. Large buildings may be split into several zones, and the team will schedule around temple routines.

Q: Can local authorities or schools used as shelters book the service?
A: Yes. WHD serves many building types, including schools and shared public buildings. Request an assessment via our contact page.

Give the Community Back a Clean, Safe Hall

Talk to WHD about post-flood ozone treatment for temples, sala halls and shelters, timed for your ceremonies and community events.

Plan Ozone for Your Shared Space

Call 065-556-6294 · LINE @whd268 · Email worldhealthdisinfection@gmail.com

Related Services

• Residential and Building Ozone Disinfection
• Chemgene Disinfectant
• Ozone Cleaning Service
• Certification Documents

References

• Department of Disease Control, Thailand Ministry of Public Health
• World Health Organization – Fact sheets