Flooding: How to Prepare, Stay Safe and Protect Your Home

Floods are one of the most common natural disasters. Fortunately, there are ways you can prepare for potential flooding in your area!

When it comes to natural disasters, hurricanes and tornadoes spring to mind as being the worst of the worst. But it’s easy to forget that there’s more to avoiding water hazards than practicing pool safety! In fact, floods cause approximately 8 billion in losses annually in the United States, making them the worst natural disaster. While flooding can come out of nowhere, there are plenty of ways to be prepared. You can even share them with others on a family app!

What are the natural causes of floods?

A flood occurs when an area that is dry under normal conditions is saturated with water. Flooding causes can include everything from rain or a ruptured dam to rapidly melting snow and ice. Coastal flooding can also occur when there is stormy weather or a hurricane.

While floods can take days to build and give ample warning, flash flooding is something that happens quickly.  Unfortunately, climate change is leading to more extreme events with rising sea levels and more intense moisture systems.

Where Are the Flooding Areas in the US?

How Do You Stay Safe During a Flood?

Is Flooding Covered Under Home Insurance?

A flooding river or a breached levee can have an impact on our personal safety. However, it can be comforting to know that your home is protected in the event of a disaster. While most insurance packages don’t include flood insurance, there is national flood insurance for high-risk areas.

While the cost of this type of insurance can vary, it can be worth it given the peace of mind. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) may even provide a certain percentage off of your insurance costs if your home is part of their Community Rating System (CRS). Share this information with other community members on our FamilyApp and keep your community protected!

Few things are more terrifying than being caught in the middle of a natural disaster. Luckily, there are ways that you can prepare yourself if worse comes to worse and you’re dealing with flooding effects. Have your ever experienced a flood? Share your experience with us in our comments. It’s important to take care of your home in the event of a flood, but maintaining your personal safety is key!

In the event of a disaster, it’s very important to exercise flood safety. Here are some tips to stay safe during flooding:

1. Stay where you are! It might be easy to think that you can walk, swim or drive through floodwaters, but they are unpredictable.
2. Seek higher ground. If you are in your home or a building, you should head to the top floor.
3. Stay informed and listen to the authorities so that you can stay safe.
4. If you’re in a flooding house, avoid wading in the water as there can be hazards and debris.
5. You should also ensure that the electricity is turned off to remove the risk of electrocution.
6. It’s also possible that animals may be inside your house so exercise caution in the event of an emergency.
7. If you have friends who live in an impacted area, share these tips on FamilyApp!

As flooding due to climate change increases, the areas impacted by its effects are set to increase as well. In fact, approximately 17 percent of all the urban land in the United States is located in a high-risk flood zone.While cities like Dallas, San Antonio and Fort Worth in Texas are prone to floods, the Eastern United States are heavily impacted, too.Urban centers like Atlanta, Chicago and Detroit are also vulnerable to extreme weather events that cause floods. The Midwest has also experienced severe floods in recent years. Oftentimes, this has been a result of the combination of the Appalachian snowpack and heavy spring rain.