Keep your important items dry in a flood

Areas which are not vulnerable to flooding can at times be impacted by the adverse effects of strong storms and high winds. Weather conditions have become extreme and regions that were once deprived of water can now encounter heavy rainfall in a single day. Therefore, it is important that everyone knows how to react to an event such as a flood.

Being a natural calamity flooding is highly unpredictable but there are many options to prevent your homes from getting damaged by a flood.

Take measures to keep water out of your house.

If you are already aware of an expected storm or heavy downpour in your area, or if your house is located in a flood-prone area, you must act immediately, protecting your doors and windows using plywood and metal sheets and shielding them using sandbags. You can also prevent water from entering your home by using a silicone sealant. Long-term effects are not guaranteed by these methods, however these measures will protect your property from damage due to flash floods and keep them dry for a while.

Shut off your utilities.

These utilities have to be shut down at the mains, not just for appliances. You should also remember to unplug all your electrical appliances and store them at high places, on the second floor, if possible. Water entry into homes often rises several feet but this will mean that the second floor is dry and any items you have stored there will not be impacted.

It is important to be mindful of furniture and appliances.

Before the flood hits, move all your valuable goods and fixtures to the first or second floor, or at least onto the highest shelves.
If your house is a bungalow and therefore lacks a second floor, use blocks or bricks to elevate these items. Ensure that you have removed all interior decorative items like curtains, carpets and sometimes internal doors which may be damaged by flood waters.
When all these goods are stored at high locations, they stand a much better chance of weathering the incoming water.

The higher areas like the second floors are the best places to accumulate essential papers, images and other personal articles which are difficult to replace. If possible, put them into a waterproof container, maybe a food storage container. If you do not have these, keep important papers from contact with floodwater by storing them in plastic bags that can be sealed.

Now focusing on objects external to your hose like garden furniture, keep them in a secure place. Floodwater can easily float these items, which can pose danger to others. Use a building that can be secured, such as a garage, to store items of value that might be carried away. For instance, floodwater can even float away a wheelbarrow if kept in the open, but if it is locked into a garage, the possibility is very low.

FThe following are the steps to be followed in case a flood warning is announced.

During such times, information plays a vital role to the decisions you need to make.

Thus, you need to always listen to the radio for announcements and updates. Co-operation from your family with the local authorities and emergency services is essential. If you are ordered to evacuate, you should follow them immediately to avoid putting yourself and those around you in danger.

Try to finish up your work during the daytime as electricity is usually not available in such conditions. Doing work in darkness becomes tedious and unsafe. Acquire appropriate batteries for your torches and know their location in the house.

Pass the threat information to all your neighbors and senior citizens especially, to enable them to arrange protection for themselves.

Try to spend as much time as possible in the house rather than exposing yourself to risk outside. Floodwater in its most fast flowing form can take lives and one should avoid moving outside if at all possible. Take notice of that fact that your car can float in two feet of water whereas six inches of rapidly flowing water is sufficient to make you fall.

Keep your pets and automobiles in secure areas. It is best to stay on the second floor of your house once you receive a flood warning. There maybe objects floating in the water, so do not attempt to swim through raging flood. There are chances of getting swept away or collisions with objects present in the water.

Avoid contact with floodwater, as it may be unclean or have become contaminated by contact with sewage waste. Just imagine making it through the flood, and then falling sick because of contamination!. Riverbanks, sea defenses and river bridges are the most dangerous places during floods, so avoid going near them. The defenses and bridges have often collapsed in the past due to the floodwater.

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