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There's a flood on the way. How do I best prepare?
TetraNitroCubane
The DjinneratorAt the bottom of a bottleRegistered User regular
The DjinneratorAt the bottom of a bottleRegistered User regular
Recently the county in which I live has been issuing rather alarming emergency warnings about impending flooding. Apparently the mountains above the county are packed with more snow than they've seen in the last two decades, and the relatively cool spring we've had has prevented gradual melting. This week there's an expectation of high temperatures, meaning all the snow is likely to melt at once, leading to severe flooding. I'm not sure if it's going to be as devastating as they're claiming, but the emergency warnings are comparing the flood to a nasty one that did a lot of damage more than a decade ago.
I live in an apartment complex, on the first floor, next to a running stream. I've no idea how to tell if I'm at risk (i.e., if this stream is fed by the rivers that will be saturated from the snow runoff), but I'm starting to get a little worried. Though it may not be related to the current situation, FEMA and municipal flood plain maps put my apartment right at the edge of a high risk area. I'm not sure what steps I ought to take to ensure that things are best prepared for the event of a nasty flood.
Obviously I'm going to elevate all of my valuables, get my computer off the floor, and plastic wrap/tarp over anything that might be potentially damaged. What I'm not sure of is what to do beyond this. Do I need to cut off the power? Can I do that from the breakers in my apartment? Do I need to do the same thing with the gas, and if so, how do I do that? When it comes to sandbagging, is that something I need to purchase myself, or as a tenant in an apartment complex should my landlord be providing the sandbags? Are there any important measures I should take in preparation for a potential flood?
Things haven't gotten serious yet, but from what I understand it could happen soon and happen quickly. Any advice anyone could provide would be very much appreciated.
I live in an apartment complex, on the first floor, next to a running stream. I've no idea how to tell if I'm at risk (i.e., if this stream is fed by the rivers that will be saturated from the snow runoff), but I'm starting to get a little worried. Though it may not be related to the current situation, FEMA and municipal flood plain maps put my apartment right at the edge of a high risk area. I'm not sure what steps I ought to take to ensure that things are best prepared for the event of a nasty flood.
Obviously I'm going to elevate all of my valuables, get my computer off the floor, and plastic wrap/tarp over anything that might be potentially damaged. What I'm not sure of is what to do beyond this. Do I need to cut off the power? Can I do that from the breakers in my apartment? Do I need to do the same thing with the gas, and if so, how do I do that? When it comes to sandbagging, is that something I need to purchase myself, or as a tenant in an apartment complex should my landlord be providing the sandbags? Are there any important measures I should take in preparation for a potential flood?
Things haven't gotten serious yet, but from what I understand it could happen soon and happen quickly. Any advice anyone could provide would be very much appreciated.
TetraNitroCubane on
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Bottle water as much as you can store safely. So times floods cause issues with local water supplies. make sure you have batterys in you flash lights. Really just some basics you should already have.
http://www.popularmechanics.com/home/skills/how-to-build-a-homemade-levee?click=pm_news
Thanks very much for the ideas. I hadn't even thought about a dehumidifier, nor the rush that's bound to happen on them. Flashlights and bottled water sound like an excellent idea as well, as I'm not sure what the impact on local infrastructure is going to be. I'm certainly calling my landlord tomorrow to see what, if anything, is planned for preparations.
Unfortunately, I'm not sure I have the approval to build a levee, since I don't own the property and would feel odd digging up the ground... But believe me, if I could, I'd be following those instructions.
Find out if your landlord/equivalent of the CCC will be providing sand and sandbags, if you're in a position to shore yourself up against the water. If you're really concerned, you may be able to chip in with other renters and buy a truckload of sand, but that may be going overboard.
Call whatever your local government office in charge of disasters is; probably with the city or county, maybe the state. They can probably help you out, give you more information.
Everyone will look at you like you're crazy probably... but you will be protected from water in the end. Right?
If your apartment is severely damaged, be on the lookout for mold spores as well. If your place smells like the woods suddenly, high tail it out of there and get some professionals to clean it.
Best plan would be what Bendery said, to try to line your doors/any possible entrances for water with sandbags. Pack up everything of value, take it with you, and don't ignore evacuation warnings. Water can be extremely deadly and flood waters can be extremely treacherous. You've got advance warning; make use of it.
Take a fast look at self-storage places. I know a few carry their own flood insurance - you might be able to store some super valuables there and take the cash hit. If that's a no go, I would suggest getting valuables out ahead of time. Waist high flooding ruins just about everything in an apartment. It'll be up over the tables and every flat surface.
You usually have a few hours notice, but get out if they call an evac.
I called my landlord this morning regarding the potential for the stream near my apartment to become flooded. According to him, he's been in contact with the city and been told that we're in a no-risk situation for the runoff that's likely to hit once the snow melts. Sandbagging is, therefore, not planned. I'm a bit skeptical, seeing as FEMA maps disagree with this assessment and place the property in a high-risk flood plain. I'm still going to elevate things as much as I can, and plan on stockpiling some supplies (which is a good thing to do in any event, anyway). If push comes to shove, I think I can bring my valuables into my workplace, which is on the third floor of a building.
So, hopefully the city's assessment of risk is correct, but in the interim I'm still keeping myself aware of the circumstances and playing it safe. Thanks again for all the advice.
I don't recommend this. Get out ahead of the flooding if you plan to move at all. Once the water starts coming it can come very fast and the last thing you want is to be floating away in your car. Ok, the next to last thing. The _last_ thing you want is to drive over what looks like a stretch of flat road and end up under seven or eight feet of water. If you cannot see the road it is unsafe to traverse it.
If you find you absolutely must drive anywhere while flood waters are coming in keep your window rolled down. It's impossible to open a car door against water pressure even before the entire door is covered by the water. If you window is down you can let the pressure equalize or just climb out the window to escape.
Keep in mind that this is not a minor annoyance. People can and do die in floods. If an evacuation is called for, get out.
0431-6094-6446-7088
Here's a link to Red Cross Disaster Preparedness kit.
Some things that you don't want to overlook:
Medications that you may be on.
Copies of important documents.
Cash.
Spare Charger for your cell phone.
Extra set of clothes.
If you have anyone you may need to identify or find later, it'll be good to have photos of what they look like too.
Do not attempt to protect your house individually from flooding by building a sandbag wall or some such nonsense. You will fail and regret the time wasted not preparing your safe evacuation.
Good luck and safe passages.
Oh and be super careful around the police and any emergency workers not bearing a medic's insignia. They probably do not have your best interests at heart.