Flood Protection & Survival

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Before a Flood:
Educate Yourself
Buy flood insurance now; it takes 30 days for a policy to take effect. Review your current policy; a standard insurance policy will not cover flood damage. After getting flood insurance, there are several things you can do to minimize losses in your home and ensure your family’s safety. Make sure your insurance covers floods and that you understand what type of flooding it covers!

1. Safeguard your possessions.
Create a personal “flood file” containing information about all your possessions and keep it in a secure place, such as a safe deposit box or waterproof container. This file should have:
    •    A copy of your insurance policies with your agent’s contact information.
    •    A room-by-room inventory of your possessions, including receipts, photos, and videos.
    •    Copies of all other critical documents, including finance records or receipts of major
          purchases.

2. Prepare your house.
    •    First make sure your sump pump is working and then install a battery-operated
          backup, in case of a power failure. Installing a water alarm will also let you know if
          water is accumulating in your basement.
    •    Clear debris from gutters and downspouts.
    •    Anchor any fuel tanks.
    •    Raise your electrical components (switches, sockets, circuit breakers, and wiring) at
          least 12 inches above your home’s projected flood elevation.
    •    Place the furnace, water heater, washer, and dryer on cement blocks at least 12
          inches above the projected flood elevation.
    •    Move furniture, valuables, and important documents to a safe place.

3. Develop a family emergency plan.
    •    Create a safety kit with drinking water, canned food, first aid, blankets, a radio, and a
          flashlight.
    •    Post emergency telephone numbers by the phone and teach your children how to dial
          911.
    •    Plan and practice a flood evacuation route with your family. Know safe routes from
          home, work, and school that are on higher ground.
    •    Ask an out-of-state relative or friend to be your emergency family contact.
    •    Have a plan to protect your pets.

Flash Floods Are No Easy Cruise (driving in flood areas, reporting damage...) - Esurance If you are driving and happen to be caught in floodwaters, you and your car will be at the mercy of extremely fast currents and rapidly changing water depth. Cars tend to float for a brief time in such circumstances, but are swept along by strong currents and quickly submerged.

Sandbagging Techniques - U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sandbagging is one of the most versatile of flood fighting tools and is a simple, effective way to prevent or reduce floodwater damage. Although sandbags do not guarantee a watertight seal, they are a proven deterrent to costly water damage. Watch the Sandbagging Slideshow {PPT}

Flood & Flash Flood - American Red Cross : Know What To Expect : How to Reduce Potential Flood Damage : How Long Will a Flood Take to Develop? : Flash Floods ; Prepare a Family Disaster Plan ; Assemble a Disaster Supplies Kit ; What to Do When a Flood Watch Is Issued ; What to Do When a Flood Warning Is Issued ; What to Do When a Flash Flood Watch Is Issued ; What to Do When a Flash Flood Warning Is Issued ; More Information

Flood Recovery Information (disinfecting wells, fixing oil tank leaks, stream debris removal...) - DEP

Priorities For Cleanup & Repair After A Flood - UMN Extension Service The following guidelines will help you get your home back to livable standards as soon as possible. The first priority is your safety. For instance, buildings may not be habitable during the cleaning process. Before entering the house, shut off the gas. Also, to avoid electrical shock, shut the power off to flooded areas and wear rubber boots. Wear waterproof gloves when handling flood contaminated materials. Finally, before you get started, assemble a bare essential first aid kit for minor injuries that may occur while cleaning.

Reducing The Impact Of Flooding (in agricultural areas: disposing of dead animals, protecting grain, preparedness on dairy farms & at food facilities...) - MDA

Safety Tips for Flood Victims - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recommends several safety tips to the victims of floods. This safety alert illustrates some dangerous practices which consumers may be tempted to engage in during efforts to rebuild or while staying in temporary housing, tents, or partially damaged homes. This information is provided in an effort to prevent injuries and deaths from consumer products as flood survivors make new beginnings. "We hope this information helps prevent product-related injuries and deaths during these difficult times."

Storm Tracker One of the best, fastest, and most interesting anomaly pages yet! Check it out!

Severe Storms. The purpose of this booklet is to help you prepare for severe weather by listing a few steps which you can take to protect your family, yourself, and your property when a severe storm hits your area.

DIY After a Flood. Very extensive tips on cleaning up after a flood.

Probability of Sea Level Rise - An EPA Report . Planning for sea level rise in response to changing climate depends on the probability that the sea will rise by a given magnitude. This report from the EPA develops probability-based projections that can be added to local tide-gauge trends to estimate future sea level at particular locations.

Stay Healthy After the Flood (15K .pdf file) underscores the need for good personal hygiene for people working in floodwater and for treating injuries immediately. Prepared by Michael H. Bradshaw, Extension Specialist, Health and Safety. MF1138,

Stay Safe After the Flood (15K .pdf file) provides tips for persons returning to their homes after the flood. Included is advice regarding electric and gas service, snakes and child safety. Prepared by Michael Bradshaw, Extension Specialist, Health and Safety. MF1139,

How to Clean and Disinfect Textiles(18k .pdf file) gives pointers for cleaning and sanitizing clothing, bedding and linens soiled by flood waters. Prepared by Deanna Munson, Extension Specialist, Textiles, and Artyce Hedrick, Extension Specialist, Clothing. MF1132,

How to Salvage Flood-Damaged Appliances (18k .pdf file) offers guidelines for cleaning, deodorizing, drying and repairing appliances subjected to flood waters. Prepared by Patti J. Annis, Assistant Professor, Department of Clothing and Textiles. MF1131,

How to Save Upholstered Furniture, Carpet, Bedding (18k .pdf file) advises flood victims on how to decide which of these items to clean up and which to discard. It includes specific cleanup advice. Prepared by Deanna Munson, Extension Textiles Specialist and Artyce Hedrick, Extension Clothing. MF1133,

Reducing Bacteria in Clothing and Textiles (24 k .pdf file) provides advice on selecting various products for sanitizing fabric products that have been exposed to flood waters. Prepared by Deanna Munson, Extension Textiles Specialist and Artyce Hedrick, Extension Clothing Specialist. MF1130, 24K.

Sanitize Kitchen Utensils After the Flood (15 k .pdf file) tells how to make dishes, pots, pans and kitchen utensils safe from disease-causing contaminants. Prepared by Fadi Aramouni, Extension Specialist, Food Systems. MF2127, 15K.

Wear Protective Clothing During Flood Cleanup (15 k .pdf file) emphasizes the need to wear clothing that protects flood cleanup workers, to check tetanus booster shots and to disinfect clothing after working in flood zones. Prepared by Artyce Hedrick, Extension Specialist, Clothing. MF1134, 15K.

Reclaiming Flooded Land with Tillage (18 k .pdf file) answers questions to how to deal with sand problems, shallow deposits of sand and gravel, deep deposits on flood-damaged fields. It was written by Randy Taylor and Morgan Powell, Extension agricultural engineers, and Hans Kok and Ray Lamond, Extension agronomists. Mf1149, 18K.

Information on floods related to volcanism:   Explains the dangers of mudflows and lahars

Effects of El Nino: One of the most important sources of year-to-year climate variation in the Southwest is the El Niño phenomenon of the tropical Pacific Ocean. El Niño is a natural but largely unpredictable condition that results from complex interplay among clouds and storms, regional winds, oceanic temperatures, and ocean currents along the equatorial Pacific.

Environmental Information System for the Upper Mississippi and Lower Missouri River Basins: This is the location of the SAST database and its associated data server. As datasets are made available, they will be staged in this area. Users may select datasets of interest and have them transferred to local disk using built-in FTP network transfers. The data in this area will be augmented and updated periodically. To avoid proliferation of obsolete files, you should check here for the most current version.

Water Resources Information by Location :The USGS manages water information at offices located throughout the United States. Although all offices are tied together through a Nation-wide computer network, each collects data and conducts studies in a particular area. Local information is best found at sites listed below. If you can't find the information you want at one site, we recommend checking neighboring sites, as study areas sometimes overlap.

FS-209-95:   Stream Gaging and Flood Forecasting: A Partnership of the U.S. Geological Survey and the National Weather Service. The two most fundamental items of hydrologic information about a river are stage, which is water depth above some arbitrary datum, commonly measured in feet, and flow or discharge, which is the total volume of water that flows past a point on the river for some period of time, usually measured in cubic feet per second or gallons per minute. These two key factors are measured at a location on the river called a stream-gaging station

Coping With Floods - Information For Dealing With Floods

Floods and Flash Floods and Insurance Information

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