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The recent hurricanes Harvey and Irma are making people aware of the importance of flood preparedness. While Harvey and Irma were exceptional cases, they aren’t isolated incidences.
Flooding is a common cause of disaster worldwide. With the rates of flooding disasters only increasing, it is vital to take steps toward flood preparedness to ensure survival.
The key points we’ll discuss here for flood preparedness are:
Flooding is the leading cause of weather-related deaths in the USA. Approximately 200 people die annually due to flooding, and billions in damages are caused. (source)
It is an even bigger problem worldwide, with 2.3 billion people affected by flooding in the past 20 years. (source)
Despite how common flooding is, few people are prepared for a flood.
This is all despite the fact that most Americans live in an area where a natural disaster has struck.
Most people incorrectly believe flooding can only happen in coastal areas or near rivers.
This is not the case. As the FEMA video explains, flooding can happen anywhere. Of course, the risk is much greater if you live in a floodplain. Check the FEMA flood map to see if you live on a floodplain.
The most important thing you can do to ensure you survive a flood is stay informed. By getting advanced warning about flooding, you can evacuate sooner and avoid much of the damage.
Get an emergency radio with NOAA alerts. You can program the radio to sound an alarm if a disaster is near you. The emergency radio will also be your lifeline to the outside world if you have to hunker down through a disaster.
There are three types of flood alerts:
Don’t wait until a flood alert has been issued to protect your home. You should have flood supplies already purchased and ready. Don’t be one of those people who rush off to the hardware store the night before a hurricane hits!
There are several steps you can take to secure your home against floodwater.
You can use barricades and devices to keep floodwater out of your home. The main ones are:
1. Sandbags are the easiest and most affordable way to keep the water out.
They are only really suitable for mild flooding and will likely be in short supply in flooding emergencies; therefore, it is wise to stock up in advance.
2. Dams are becoming more popular with people living in flood areas. Some dams are placed in front of doors or windows to prevent water from leaking in. Others can be inflated and put around the entire property.
3. Sump Pumps are used to remove water from your house if it is already flooding. There are many different types available. You should be looking at battery-powered and\or submersible models for emergency use.
When a disaster strikes, you should immediately turn off the utilities, including gas, electric, and water. This reduces the risk of an electrical fire, burst pipes, and gas leaks.
After turning off the electric main, unplug all appliances. This helps protect them from shorting when the electricity is turned back on.
Never turn off the electricity while standing in water. If there is already water where the electricity main is, use a long broom handle while standing on a dry surface to shut off the main.
The damage can be huge even if your home is only hit with a few inches of flooding. This is because mold can set in quickly, and cleanup is very intensive.
According to data from the National Flood Insurance Program, the cost of water damage cleanup is:
When you see these high costs, you realize why buying flood insurance is a worthwhile investment in your home security.
If you have time before evacuating from a flood, take steps to keep your property safe.
While stockpiling non-perishable foods is essential, water is what you need to worry about. Tap water is unsafe to drink during flooding.
You will need to treat it first with a water purification method such as boiling or water purification tablets.
Remember those photos of drenched flood victims stranded on their roofs? They are most certainly freezing!
Staying warm during the flood means staying dry. Be sure to have a change of clothes, waterproof boots and jackets, and emergency wool blankets (which dry faster than cotton).
With all the debris that flooding causes, it is easy to get abrasions. Make sure there is antibacterial ointment in your first aid kit to treat any wound that comes into contact with floodwater. The last thing you need is an infection developing.
Incidences of diarrhea and vomiting are also common during flood emergencies because of contact with tainted water. For this, it is vital to have electrolytes (Amazon Link) on hand to treat dehydration and anti-diarrheal medications. (Amazon Link)
Even if the electric grid works during a flood, you should keep all electricity off. This reduces the risk of fire.
It can be very stressful to sit through a flood in the dark. Aside from comfort, you’ll need light to find your way in the dark during an emergency evacuation.
I find that headlamps are the best emergency light option. They are worn on the head, so your hands are freed up for other tasks. Never use candles during a flood because of the risk of gas leaks.
Remember, you probably won’t be able to use your home’s toilet during flooding. The excess water in the sewage system means backups can occur if you try to flush. You should put sandbags over your toilets to prevent sewage backflow!
Making an emergency toilet is simple. The “cleanest” method is the two-bucket emergency toilet.
These are the 4 aspects to consider when making your flood evacuation plan.
The sooner you leave, the better your chances are of escaping the flood. However, many people are reluctant to leave their homes. Wishful thinking leads them to believe, “This could never happen to me” or “It won’t be that bad.”
It is difficult to reason during a disaster. So, make a plan before a flood watch or warning takes place. Learning about the categories of storms will help you make this decision.
Hopefully, you have friends or relatives that live outside the flood zone. Ask them if you could come to them in a disaster.
You could head to a hotel until the flood passes. You’ll need to set aside money to pay for the accommodation bill. However, hotels often are fully booked during flood disasters. In these situations, churches, community groups, and even locals might open their doors to flood victims.
But what if flooding makes it impossible to leave the area? You might need to evacuate to a storm shelter. On the Red Cross website, you can search for a storm shelter.
Be sure to have the contact info of the storm shelter handy. Grid outages mean you might not be able to search the web once flooding is in effect!
For more on this, read How to Make a Disaster Evacuation Plan.
Consider getting an inflatable raft (Amazon Link) in case of flooding. You can take the boat to the nearest shelter if you cannot drive.
One of the biggest hurricane mistakes people make is going to their attic. Not realizing how quickly flood water can rise, they end up trapped inside and drown.
Don’t go to your attic if you ever find yourself in a flood disaster. You’d be better off on the roof where you can signal for help.
Consider getting an emergency rooftop hatch for your attic. This way, you can safely go up to your attic during a flood. If the water rises to this level, you can safely escape the attic through the rooftop hatch.
Many of the deaths and injuries that occur during flooding are because people underestimate the power of floodwater.
Even small amounts of floodwater are enough to wash you away and drown you.
In most cases, it is best to hunker down in your home until the storm passes and the floodwater goes down. It can take days or weeks for flood water to recede, so it is important to have emergency supplies stockpiled.
Even if you are prepared to stay in your flooded home, it isn’t always wise. Stagnant floodwater can quickly turn toxic. Mold growth can start in as little as 24 hours – creating respiratory issues if inhaled. Thus, once the threat has passed, many people choose to leave their flooded homes.
An evacuation order might also be placed if your home is flooded. Rescue workers will go door-to-door evacuating people to shelters. You’ll be forced to evacuate, whether you want to or not.
To make sure you can evacuate quickly and safely:
Use your emergency radio to listen for drinking water alerts during the flood. Unless the water company explicitly says tap water is safe, assume it is contaminated and do not drink it.
Often, water companies will issue a “boil alert” during flooding. This means that you should boil tap water for at least 1 minute before drinking or cooking with it. Even water for brushing your teeth should be treated.
Boiling doesn’t remove chemical contaminants, though. This usually isn’t an issue for healthy adults. However, infants can be susceptible to nitrates in water. Only bottled water should be used for mixing infant formula.
To learn more about water preparedness, read these articles:
No matter how eager you are to get your power and water back, never turn on the utilities until you have checked with the authorities.
The risk of electrical shock or fire is great after a flood. If you couldn’t shut off your electric main before leaving your home, do not reenter until an electrician has checked for safety. Likewise, don’t re-plug any electrical appliances that got wet until an electrician inspects them.
Landline phones typically don’t work after large disasters. Even cell phones often don’t work because networks get flooded.
However, internet connections often do work. You can contact loved ones using email or social media. You’ll need a way to recharge your phone to stay connected, such as a solar or hand-crank charger.
If you get separated from loved ones during flooding:
These issues should be considered before disaster strikes. Learn how to make an emergency communication plan.
Wait until authorities say it is safe to return home. If you find your home is still surrounded by water, do not enter.
Remember that flooding can cause severe damage to your home. There could be extensive structural damage, meaning you could fall straight through floors or have the roof collapse on you. It is better to be safe than sorry in this situation!
If you do deem it safe to start the flood cleanup process:
To learn more, Flood Safety has a good guide to cleaning up after a flood.
Unfortunately, looting is common after disasters. Boarding up broken windows can help prevent looting, as thieves will usually go for the easiest target. You might also want to join your neighbors to form a watch.
Others take a more aggressive approach to preventing looters – such as writing warning signs on their doors that “Looters will be shot.”
You’ll need to divide your flood disaster supplies into two categories: Supplies for evacuating and supplies for remaining in your home.
The safest room during a hurricane is an interior room without windows on the first floor. Ideally, you will have your flood emergency supplies in this room.
However, since the “safe room” is often a bathroom or pantry, you might not be able to get all of the supplies in the safe room. In this case, consider where you can keep the supplies nearby, so they are accessible.
You’ll never want to keep flood supplies in the basement, garage, or other areas which will get flooded first or be inaccessible during flooding.
If you have a roof escape hatch installed, consider keeping some emergency supplies here too. Floodwaters rise rapidly, and you might not have time to carry supplies to the attic while escaping the water.
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