Preparing for a Flood– Part 3, by S.G.

For the past two days, we have looked at risk management strategies for floods in Part 1 and Part 2. Today, we conclude with the final risk response strategy and the final step in Risk Management– Risk Monitoring.

Scenario 4: A flood has happened.

The water has peaked and is now receding. You may be in several positions now. If you left early enough, then you got out in time with your bug out gear and family intact. Your house condition is most likely unknown, but regardless the area is quarantined and you won’t be able to get back for days or weeks. If you left by the skin of your teeth while watching your house torn off its foundation, you may have almost no worldly possessions left. Or maybe you stayed, braved the flood, and now your house has survived but unfortunately the rest of your neighborhood was destroyed and now you are trapped since the bridges and roads were washed out. There is no electricity or gas, and raw sewage is flowing across your yard.

How you proceed will depend on your situation. Hopefully when you look at those scenarios you can see which are more ideal. Pretty much any scenario not involving bugging out early has put you in a situation with less control. Remember, the best risk management strategy is Avoidance. Bugging out early can avoid many worse scenarios than staying in.

Blocked Out of Housing Area

Let’s first look at what to do if you are blocked out of the area where your house is located. Hopefully, you can head to your bug out destination or a friend’s or relative’s home while you wait for word on access to your house. In the worst case, you may need to go to a shelter for a little while. Once you have your immediate lodging and security taken care of, notify your home insurance agent of the situation and determine if they have any benefits you can take advantage of, such as paying for hotels. Check in with your employer to see what the status is and if they are making any provisions for supporting affected employees and getting people back to work. Make sure to alert any concerned loved ones or friends that you are okay. And check up on those you are worried about.

Needing to Leave

If you are stuck at your house but need to leave, do what you can to signal to potential rescuers or emergency services. While you are safe for the immediate moment at your house, it is better to wait for help than to try to trudge through unfamiliar floodwaters. If you need to move, follow a few recommendations here for moving through floodwater.

If Leaving On Foot

• When on foot, use a stick or pole to test the ground ahead of you.
• Avoid moving water.
• Wear long pants to protect from protruding hazards that might not be visible from the surface.
• Wear sturdy shoes that will resist puncture, if you do not have access to waterproof gear.
• Avoid carrying heavy loads, as these can trap you underwater if you fall.
• Have a flotation device in case you fall into water.
• Use a flotation device to transport loads, and simply pull it along but don’t tie it to you. Creative ideas are an air mattress, an emptied flower pot (as long as it doesn’t have drain holes at the bottom), a kiddie pool, plastic bins, et cetera.

If Leaving By Bicycle

• I do not recommended that you ride through any more than a few inches of water on a bicycle.
• If water is more than a few inches deep, walk the bicycle and test the water’s depth with a stick.
• Do not ride through flowing water; it can knock you over.

If Leaving By Car

• The most important rule for water crossings in a vehicle is this: If you don’t know, don’t go. Cars are not boats. However, they will float, for a short time, and not when you want them too. If you are unsure of the depth of a water crossing, assume it is too deep.
• Sedans can only pass through a few inches of water before they will begin to float and then stall.
• Even a lifted truck may only have a foot or two of actual water clearing capability.
• Every year people die trying to ford water of unknown depth in their vehicles. Don’t be one of them.
• How do you know the depth of a water crossing? The easiest way is to watch any other cars that are attempting. The second way is to walk it yourself, checking the depth in front of you with a stick.
• If the water is flowing too fast or deep for you to walk across, then it is probably too fast or deep to drive across. It’s better to wait it out on dry land than to wait it out on the roof of your flooded car or become another statistic.

If Leaving By Boat

As part of your preps or just for recreation purposes, you may have a small boat like a trawler, canoe, or kayak. These can be great ways to move around post flood. However, you need to remember a few things:

• Be extremely careful to avoid currents, and
• Beat the temptation to overload the vessel’s weight capabilities with gear or people.

Upon Returning Home

If the flood has passed and you are now back at your home, it is extremely important to understand how your insurance company will process your claim. [5] Don’t touch anything until you have a thorough understanding of what information they will need.

Before entering your home, make sure to load up on PPE. Wear sturdy shoes, an air mask, and have gloves, and good strong clothing on. On entering your home, do not try to use any appliance or even turn on a light switch. The odds are your electrical system has been compromised. Use a flashlight for light instead. Be extremely careful of any chemical spills. Take a camera, and take pictures of everything for insurance purposes. Once you have assessed the situation, you can either leave with the information you need for an insurance claim, or you can begin cleanup if you have the clearance from insurance.

This ends the mitigation section of risk management.

Strategy 5: Exploit.

The final risk management strategy to look at is exploitation. Risks are not inherently a bad thing; they are simply uncertain future events. And as the saying goes, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Investing in a good boat when you are in a flood prone area is one way you can set yourself up to help be a force for good after a flood hits. It can put you on the offensive instead of the defensive, once the waters rise.

Looters, Contractors, and Used Car Sales

On the other hand, you need to watch for those who will be exploiting the situation for their own gain. Looters fall into this category, as well as non-licensed contractors who will offer to do work in disaster areas and then take off once their deposit is paid. Another place to watch is the used car market, as many totaled flood vehicles may wind up on seedy lots for resale without a full description of their history.

We have covered the first two risk management strategies of Risk Identification and Risk Response Planning. Now it is time for the final step– Risk Monitoring.

Step 3: Risk Monitoring

By now you have identified your current level of flood risk and prepared a Risk Response plan based off this. Excellent! Now you have to fight the temptation to never think about it again.

Risk Monitoring is simply staying aware of any potential changes to your environment that may require an update to your plan. I recommend that once a year, while you are checking and refreshing the rest of your bug out and bug in plans, that you perform Step 1 again, and see if there have been any changes worth planning for. Maybe a new levee will have been built, or there is a new family member you need to consider, or you have moved to a new location. Simply update your plan and then move on to enjoying another hopefully wonderful and flood-free year.

A Few Final Thoughts

Large portions of the population live in coastal or river overflow areas, and while a good insurance policy may be your best option for a reactive fix, there are many preventative options you can take to be ready for this sort of emergency and reduce the risk to your family.

It won’t necessarily take 40 days worth of rain to flood your portion of the earth, and the odds of you having the ability to make the best decisions when the water is already rising are not great. Take the time now to follow the risk management strategy outlined in this article to reduce the chances of getting stuck in a catastrophic flooding situation.

Thanks for reading.

References:

[5] https://www.houselogic.com/finances-taxes/home-insurance/what-do-first-24-hours-after-flood/

See Also:

• Preparing for a Flood– Part 1, by S.G.
• Preparing for a Flood– Part 2, by S.G.

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

This has been part three of a three part entry for Round 71 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $11,000 worth of prizes for this round include:

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1. A $3000 gift certificate towards a Sol-Ark Solar Generator from Veteran owned Portable Solar LLC. The only EMP Hardened Solar Generator System available to the public.
2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any one, two, or three day course (a $1,195 value),
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4. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper. These have hammer forged, chrome-lined barrels and a hard case, to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR-type rifle to have a quick change barrel. This can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools. It also provides a compact carry capability in a hard case or in 3-day pack (an $1,100 value),
5. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
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1. A Model 175 Series Solar Generator provided by Quantum Harvest LLC (a $439 value),
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9. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.

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1. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
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Round 71 ends on July 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.