The devastating flooding in Colorado has gripped the nation, and made us all realize how quickly extreme weather events can change our lives. While its impossible to totally prepare for these kinds of events, heres what you should know about preparing for a flood and dealing with the damage afterwards.
11.Know what the warnings mean
- Flood Watch: Flooding is possible so stay tuned to news alerts to see if the warning changes
- Flash Flood Watch: Flash flooding is possible
- Flood Warning: Flooding is happening or will happen soon
- Flash flood watch: Flash flooding is happening or will happen soon.
10. Have an emergency pack handy and ready to go with plenty of food, medical supplies and drinking water for a few days.
9. Decide on where youll go if you need to evacuate and fill your tank up prior if youre traveling by car.
8. If evacuating, turn off gas, electric and water and disconnect appliances.
7. Gather important documents and valuables and store them at a higher level or in a water-protective container.
6. Remove insecticides, pesticides or other toxic chemicals from ground level to prevent additional contamination of water.
5. Do not attempt to walk in moving water or drive in flood water.
After the flood:
4. Do not return home unless local authorities have announced it is safe to do so.
3. Disinfect any surface touched by flood water as it most likely contaminated and can cause infections or illness.
2. Dont drive on roads where flood water has receded. The road could now be too weak to drive over.
1. Start recording the damage for insurance purposes, taking photo and video and writing details of the damage.
