Beat That Unpredicted Flood With These Guidelines

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Coping with unheralded flooding

Heavy rains and stormy winds can often flood your locality, sometimes in unprecedented ways. Weather conditions have become extreme and regions that were once deprived of water can now encounter heavy rainfall in a single day. This has led to a situation where every individual must be ready to face household emergencies, especially flooding.

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 stay in an area which is prone to flooding, make sure that you cover up your windows and doors using sandbags, plywood or metal sheets. Silicone sealant applied to the joints of shutters and glazing is effective in preventing water seepage. These measures will not last for days but they may hold back a short lasting flood and keep your possessions dry.

Shut off your utilities.

It is important to shut off the electricity, gas and even water supplies, as well as other utilities, at the mains supply. Electrical devices should be unplugged and kept away from water, preferably at a higher level. The level of water entering the house can escalate to a few feet yet storing things at height in the home can prevent them from getting damaged.

Take special care of the appliances and furniture.

Check that the high priced furniture and equipment are stored at height or on the upper floors.
In case you do not have a higher area in your home, you can always use bricks or blocks to make one. Removing carpets, curtains and internal doors is recommended.
To keep them from away from floodwater, store all of these in elevated places.

Photos, documents and personal things that are important and cannot be replaced must be placed at height or on the second floor if available. These valuables are best stored in airtight containers like food tins. If the above is not possible, you can just seal these papers into plastic refuse bags to be shielded from water.

Find a safe place for all external items like rakes. The rising flood waters can lift such unsecured objects and cause harm to others. Besides, keep all your important items in a locked room or building (a garage) to prevent them from floating away. Even a wheelbarrow could float away if left outside whereas it will not move if kept in a garage and will not be harmed by the flood water.

Once you have received a flood warning, there are several important tasks you must carry out immediately.

Up to date information is important when such situations are likely.

Keep yourself glued to your radio sets so that you do not miss out on any important announcements. Your co-operation with the local authorities and service providers is must in the hour of need. The authorities might ask you to evacuate, in such a case you should follow their orders immediately as it is for your own good only.

Since electricity will almost certainly be unavailable, you must ensure that you do all the things you need to do during the day. Doing work in darkness becomes tedious and unsafe. Torch batteries must be kept handy and in known places ready for an emergency.

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

Until the time to move stay in your house safely. Floodwater in its most fast flowing form can take lives and one should avoid moving outside if at all possible. Be aware that when water is flowing rapidly, a small depth of water can cause you to fall over; only two feet is required to float your car.

If you have any pets or cars, make sure to keep them in a safe place. It is best to stay on the second floor of your house once you receive a flood warning. Avoid swimming as fdangerous loating objects may be present in the water. You can either be swept away or be knocked over by objects that are in the water.

Floodwater is dirty due to the presence of sewage and any contact with it should be possibly avoided. Getting infected due to the befouled water could be tragic whenh you have been saved from drowning. Where possible, steer clear of riverbanks, bridges over rivers and sea defenses during floods, as they are extremely hazardous places to be. Cases of floodwater demolishing or bringing down bridges and defenses are frequently recorded.

Article Source: http://depositarticles.com/

David is the maintainer of Blocked Drains, a web site which has help and advice on treating blocked drains problems. www.blocked-drains.info Please visit the site and read the detailed tips on how to maintain your drains.

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