Flood Safety Tips: Before The Flood

Follow these flood safety tips to stay safe before a flood. First, call your local emergency management agency to find out if you live in a flood-prone area. Ask about the flood history in your area and if there are any flood shelters near by. You can also contact you local zoning offices and ask if your property is above or below flood level. Educate yourself about your community's warning system for flooding. If you can, study flood preparation literature and start putting the learned information into practice.

If you find out that are living in an area that has frequently flooded, note the following. Store some emergency building materials off-site, such as plywood, plastic sheeting, lumber nails, hammer, saw, pry bar, shovels, and sandbags in a dry unfloodable area. These will come in handy after a flood to quickly recover from any damages. Also install check valves in your sewer traps to prevent flood waters from backing up in your sewer drains. If you can't take this precaution, as a last resort, you can use large corks and stoppers to plug showers, tubs, and sinks.

Always have an evacuation plan and emergency routes. Practice the evacuation procedure and routes a few times before a true emergency occurs. Make sure that you have several routes planned, in case your first one or two choices are flooded out. Keep a flood kit handy and have disaster supplies on hand. Gather items such as: flashlights, extra batteries, an emergency radio, first aid kit, emergency food and water, can opener, cash or credit cards and towels. Follow these flood safety tips to prepare you and your family before the flood.