It's important to prepare for flood

6 Tips And Strategies To Prepare For A Flood

It’s not debatable: We simply must prepare for a flood because floods are not going to end anytime soon. Mother Nature makes that decision for us. Even in the Bible, Noah had to build an ark to weather a flood. And here we are, still dealing with flooding.

What compounds the issue is that with the growing concern relating to climate change, many people are often taken by surprise by the extreme weather fluctuations. These days, hurricanes, torrential storms, etc. can lead to water overflows which will submerge land around us.

Floods are a highly destructive force of nature that could wash your entire house away. And depending on where you live, your area may be more prone to floods.

One way to find out if you live in a high-risk area is to check if floods have happened there before. If they have, the chances of one happening again are high.

With that background in mind, it only stands to reason that you must be prepared when you get that flood warning. So, it’s best to take as many preventive measures as you can.

6 tips and strategies to implement when you prepare for a flood.

1. Make sure you are insured

Hopefully, by the time you get the flood warning, you already have insurance for your home.  Keep in mind that there’s usually a waiting period that could last about a month before you see payout on a claim. So, make sure you get insurance.

Flood insurance usually only covers water damage to the property. Even then, there likely will be numerous conditions that’s noted in the fine print.

      • Realize that your valuables may not be covered with this type of insurance. So, you’re better off keeping them in a safety deposit box at the bank or in a heavy airtight/waterproof safe at home.
      • Your temporary living expenses may not be covered either. By now you’ll realize that having cash on hand is crucial. Hopefully, you will have saved an ‘emergency fund’ just in case such a weather catastrophe occurs

2. Turn off the power and gas mains

Turn off the power if you notice that the water level is rising.

      • Locate the fuse box and turn off all switches.
      • If the house is already flooded, make sure you’re standing on something dry before touching the fuse box.
      • If the fuse box is wet, use a wooden stick to pry it open and use the stick or a chopstick to turn off the switches. Be extremely careful: There is a possibility of electrocution.
      • Turn off your gas main. During a flood, there could be a gas leak. If you enter your house once the flood dissipates and turn on the lights, there could be an explosion. Turning off both the gas and electricity will prevent another disaster from occurring.

3. Plan For Your Pets

When you start to prepare for a flood, never forget your pets. Think of how you’ll be able to transport them. Do you have a bug-out bag for your pet?

      • The pet bug-out bag should contain pet food, first aid kit, blanket, pet toys, etc. It’ll be heartbreaking to abandon your pet because you’re not prepared.
      • If you need to go out for a while during a flood warning, avoid caging or leashing your pet if you leave it at home. If there’s a flash flood, your pet will not be able to instinctively seek higher ground on its own.

4. Stay informed and be alert

Stay tuned in to radio, TV and other forms for communication for flood warnings and updates. If there are flood shelters set up to help people, you’ll need to know where they. You never know when you and your family may have to evacuate.

5. Don’t drive

There are many people who think that it’s OK to drive through a flood. This is a fallacy.

These people seem to think that they can maneuver the car to perform like a boat. And it’s this false assumption that land them into trouble when they attempt to do this.

Usually, a flood that is a foot high is enough to cause the car to stall and the driver to lose control of the vehicle.

Image by Pixahive.com

If the flood water is higher than a foot, the water will enter the vehicle and flood it. To make matters worse, the flood could easily sweep away the vehicle and you’d be trapped inside it with no control over where you’re going to end up. So, if you’re one of these people, please get rid of this misconception.

Even if you can drive, aquaplaning can occur. This occurs when the water forms a layer on the road and the tire grooves can’t dissipate the water sufficiently. The car then ‘floats’ on the road. Turning the steering wheel or applying the brakes could cause it to skid and crash into some object or person.

6. Start your recovery effort

After the flooding is when the real work begins. Once the flood has subsided, you’re in for some hard work.

      • Deal with the wet, soggy items. It’ll be depressing to see the damage that your house has endured.
      • Be on the lookout for snakes or other creatures that may have been displaced during the flooding and taken refuge in your home.
      • You’ll either have to discard or dry out any furniture, electronic equipment, bedding, etc. that has been soaked.

Do not drink water from the tap.

The water supply is likely to become contaminated during most floods.

Drink only bottled water.

Ideally, you should have a water filtration device such as a LifeStraw or some other water purification method.

Getting clean drinking water during flooding will be difficult. Isn’t it ironic, though, that in a flood you’re surrounded by water, but you can’t drink it. The water filtration bottles, and water purification tablets will help you here.

When tackling the challenges of flood survival, these are some of the essential actions to take to make sure you prepare for a flood. Preparation is the only way you’ll come out of this weather emergency all in one piece, and with your safety and sanity intact.

 

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