How To Protect Your Family During A Flood

During a flood, protecting your family should be the most important thing on your mind. While property damage can cause problems, all material things can be replaced. Instead, focus on keeping everyone in your household safe and fed. Here are a few things to consider when trying to protect your family from a flood.

Step 1 - Prepare Your Home

If you know that a flood is imminent or the house is already starting to flood, you need to do as much as you can to prepare your home. Start by cutting the utilities at the entrance to the house. You do not want electricity going through the outlets when they could potentially be submerged underwater. This could cause a very dangerous situation for you and your family. You also do not want gas or water leaking in the house either.

You should also try to bring in furniture or other items from the outside of the house. If you can block the doors somehow, this could potentially limit the amount of water that gets in. If you have advanced notice, you might want to consider elevating the furnace and water heater as well.

Step 2 - Go Upstairs

If you have a house with 2 floors, you need to make sure that you get yourself off of the ground floor. During a flood, there is a good chance that the bottom floor will be completely submerged underwater. Therefore, you need to go upstairs and keep your family away from the water if possible.

Step 3 - Gathering Information

During a flood, you want to make sure that you have the latest information about the situation. A battery-powered radio can come in very handy during this situation. You will be able to get the latest information about the flood as well as weather forecasts. Many times, the experts will be able to give estimates as to how long the flood will last and whether you should try to evacuate or stay in your home. You might also want to consider using your cell phone to call someone outside of your immediate area. This can help you determine how far the flood reaches and whether it would make sense to try to make a move.

Step 4 - Walking in Water

If you decide that you have to move in the water, you will want to make sure that you walk with caution. Keep in mind that if you see moving water, you should be very leery about walking in it. You should know that 6 inches of living water can potentially knock you down. Anything deeper than that is extremely dangerous and can potentially wash you away. You should always wear shoes when walking in water as you never know what you will step on. You should also use a stick or something else to check the ground in front of you while walking.

Step 5 - Driving in Water

Keep in mind that driving in water is not a good idea most of the time. One foot of water could cause your vehicle to float. Two feet of moving water is usually all that it takes to wash a car away.