1 Plan ahead
Prepare home
228
NATURAL DISASTERS
Flood
For SEVERE STORM see p. 226 For TSUNAMI see p. 242 Heavy rainfall, melting snows, rivers changing course, dams collapsing, and high tides in coastal areas can all cause floods. If you live in an area prone to flooding, know the difference between a“ flood watch”( flooding is possible), a“ flood warning”( flooding is expected), and a“ severe flood warning”( severe flooding is expected). Take the necessary measures to protect your family and home.
PREPARING FOR A FLOOD
1 Plan ahead
• Contact your city / town council to find out the height to which a flood could rise.
• Be alert to flood warnings issued by weather forecasters and the Environmental Protection Agency.
• Keep enough bricks with which to raise wooden or upholstered furniture off the floor and out of the flood water.
• Buy sandbags and sand if water is likely to rise above door level.
• Keep your important documents in plastic wallets in a safe place.
2
Prepare home
• Block all gaps under and around external doors with sandbags( see box below).
• If flood water is expected to rise up to window height, place sandbags along windowsills too.
• Take up your carpets and store them upstairs along with all the valuables you can move.
• Fill clean baths, sinks, and plastic bottles with cold water.
• Turn off electricity and gas supplies; flooded wiring can cause fires.
• Use bricks to raise furniture.
PROTECTING YOUR HOME WITH SANDBAGS
• Use sandbags to seal entry points around doors and vents. Also seal windows if the water is likely to rise
that high.
• Half-fill the sandbag casings with sand. If you run out of casings, make your own from plastic shopping
bags, pillow cases, or even stockings.
• Place the first row of bags in position, butting them up against each other, end to end, and then stomp
down on them to mould the ends together.
• Lay the second row on top, staggering the bags, and stomping down on them to mould them into the row
below. This will prevent seepage through gaps.
• If your wall of sandbags needs to be three or four layers, lay two rows side by side, followed by a second
double row, then one or more single rows on top.
Using sandbags Lay the second row of bags in place, staggering the bags over the first row in a brickworklike formation.