How to Stay Safe During and After a Flood

Flooding can be extremely destructive, expensive, and deadly. A flooding disaster can put your life in danger and cause major damage to your property. So, while it's critical to ensure your home is protected with the right flood insurance, it's also essential to know what steps to take to keep yourself and your family safe if a flood occurs.

Review this list of flood safety tips before you ever find yourself needing them, and keep them on hand in case a disaster occurs. Being prepared in advance can make all the difference, especially in the event of a flash flood. Here's a guide to staying safe during and after a flood.

How to Stay Safe During a Flood

Staying safe in a flood is all about preparedness. Start this preparation now, so if a flood hits, you'll know exactly what to do. Here are some basic tips to stay safe in a flood:

• Have a safety kit on hand: You should have an emergency safety kit prepared ahead of a potential flood or other disaster. Gather at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food and at least one gallon of water for each person and pet per day. Also, be sure to include supplies like medications, batteries, a radio, etc.
• Secure outdoor items: Either bring in outdoor items like furniture and decor or secure them as well as possible. If flooding occurs, these items could be washed away and cause damage to other property or injuries to humans. 
• Stay connected: Keep your phone, radio, or TV handy and tune into local updates throughout the storm. In case you're ordered to evacuate, you'll want to be sure your volume and alerts are on at all times.
• Get to a safe location: Identify a safe location before the flood hits, then get to it as quickly as possible. The best place to go during a flood is higher ground. The top floor of your home may suffice. Keep in mind that just a foot of water is enough to move your car or cause it to float in a flood. 
• Evacuate when instructed: You don't always have to evacuate during a flood, but if you're told to, do so right away. Shut off all your home's utilities before you leave, including power and gas. Have an emergency evacuation route already in mind as well as an alternate route in case your city closes certain roads or bridges.

These simple tips can help keep you safe if a flood hits. After the damage is done, be sure to document it to submit a claim through your flood insurance. If you still haven't purchased a flood policy, talk to a local independent insurance agent ASAP.

How to Stay Safe in a Car During a Flood

If you're driving when a flooding event like a flash flood occurs, you obviously won't have as much time to prepare for the disaster safely. Still, fortunately, there are some tips you can follow to help keep yourself and your family safe in this circumstance. These include:

• Follow marked routes: Don't ignore road closures or barricades. Don't drive around barricades or attempt to drive on a clearly closed road. Find an alternate route because the road has been closed for a reason.
• Avoid bridges over fast water: Floods, especially flash floods, can wash out bridges. Don't drive over bridges with fast-moving water underneath because they could be flooded very quickly afterward.
• Only proceed when it's safe: Don't attempt to drive through floodwaters. You can't ever be sure of how deep what looks like a puddle might actually be. Further, floodwaters can contain debris and pests.
• Stay inside if you're surrounded: If you're in your vehicle and it gets surrounded by rushing water, stay inside. However, if the water is getting into your vehicle, get out quickly and move to the roof.

You can still keep yourself and your family safe if you happen to be in a vehicle when it floods. Keep these tips in mind or in a safe place to refer to when necessary. Make sure to inform any children and other family members of how to handle flooding incidents while on the road before a disaster ever occurs.

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How to Stay Safe After a Flood

After a flood happens, it's more essential than ever to keep yourself and your family safe. Floods can create precarious, unsafe situations in areas that were safe to enter just hours or even moments before. 

Be hesitant to enter any structures that haven't been inspected and declared safe. Also, keep these additional safety tips for after flooding occurs in mind:

• Know that flood water is dirty: Don't try to drink flood water, clean with it, bathe in it, or use it for any other hygienic purpose. Flood water is full of dirt, bacteria, and possible pests and should never be consumed.
• Avoid driving in flood waters: Whether you're on foot or in a car, don't go through flood waters. There could be animals, debris, or any number of dangerous contaminants in the water. There's no way of knowing what's inside or how deep the water goes. Remember, "turn around, don't drown."
• Return home only when instructed: If you were instructed to evacuate, don't return home until you receive official orders to do so. It may take hours, days, or even longer for roadways and buildings to be cleared after a flood occurs.
• Wait to use your home's water: Stay tuned for local news updates about local water safety. After a flood, your home's water may not be clean to drink, cook with, or bathe in. Don't use it until you receive official confirmation that it's safe. Have bottled water on hand, or boil your home's water if authorities declare it's okay to do so.
• Toss contaminated food: If you had food stored in a pantry that got contaminated by flood water, toss it. The same goes for anything else you might consume, including bottled water.

Though floods and flash flood disasters can be stressful and sudden, being prepared ahead of time can greatly increase your chances of minimizing damage and injury as much as possible. Make sure all members of your family are aware of how to behave during and after a flood — before a warning or watch ever pops up on the news. You might also want to take the extra preparation of reviewing your flood insurance with your local independent insurance agent.