Flooding is tragic, dirty, expensive, and above-all-else dangerous. Dealing with the results of a flood is something worth thinking about and prepping for.
Here are some things to consider when dealing with flooding, based on information put out by the University of Missouri (Missouri has a LOT of flooding annually) and my own school of hard knocks experience with floodwaters.
Obviously, if at all possible, you want to avoid being in a flood in the first place. If you can’t, however, here are some thoughts I have for you.
So what happens if you work in the town ahead? In this case, if you live down this road you get to take a 15-mile detour to get to work.
Flood Insurance
I know, boring, right? If you live in an area where you can buy flood insurance, than you should do just that… buy flood insurance. It isn’t available everywhere, but the good news is if you can’t buy it, chances are VERY low that you will ever need it.
Pictures
Wait, Salty, what? Pictures? Dude, this is a prepping website, what’s up with the pictures stuff?
Well, when dealing with flooding, unless we see an old timer floating around in a large barge with giraffe heads hanging out the side windows we are not caught up in a general TEOTWAWKI event, but rather a local or regional disaster.
This is where pictures really help.
Before
First, having pictures of your home or business before it was flooded really helps show the value of the contents that were in the structure.
Personal story. Some good friends of ours own a store that was located in a floodplain. As I was talking to one of the owners (asking if there was anything I could do) she got a call on her cell. It was her husband who told her “the water has topped the levee, we are going to go under!”.
The levee is just across the parking lot from the business, and I was at work up the hill about half a mile away. I dropped what I was doing and ran out the front door. I got in my car, and raced down the hill via a back road to see the parking lot slowly starting to fill and the water inching towards the front door.
A Mad Dash
I pulled right up to the front door, raced inside (the employees were making sure the store was empty) and started going isle by isle taking picture of both sides. I ran all around the store taking pictures of everything I could think of as the water was coming slowly in the front.
My friend the owner told me to get out, he was cutting off the power and the electric company was there pulling the meter. As I ran outside I grabbed a Diet Mountain Dew from the soon-to-be-flooded cooler. and found my car sitting in water up to the floorboards.
I sloshed over, got in and backed away from the flood. By the time it was all over the water had risen to over 5 feet high in the store, making it a complete write-off.
Having those pictures, however, was a HUGE help for their insurance claim because it showed that the inventory listed in the computer was actually in the store… there are even a few of the last ones that showed the flood water coming into the building.
It’s important to document what the place looked like when the water recedes as well, before you start the cleanup procedure. Take LOTS of pictures. Trust me on this one. (Spice’s note: Important backstory lest you think Salty is an idiot: We know from past experience this particular spot doesn’t do the ‘wall of water’ type flood. He wasn’t risking drowning.)
Electrical
Flooding and electricity are a bad combination.
As mentioned above, my friend called the electric company who were pulling the meters on all the buildings about to go under.
Watch out for power lines and report any that are down to authorities.
Collapsing walls, fixtures and furniture
Many building materials and floodwater do not go well together.
Water will destroy plaster, sheet rock, weaken wooden structures, destroy drop ceilings… in other words, a lot of stuff can fall on your head after a flood.
We eye protection, a hardhat and steel toed shoes when working inside of a structure that has been flooded. Wear thick boots that are resistant to penetration by sharp objects. Don’t forget the heavy gloves; you don’t want a puncture by that nasty dirty stuff.
Sewage alert!
There’s a lot of sewage and human waste in floodwaters, and a lot of other really toxic stuff, so if at all possible it’s best to completely avoid contact with water that’s been in a flood.
A big issue you may need to deal with is if you have a septic tank, cesspool or other sanitary sewage system that may be damaged or overloaded during flooding. It’s best to have any septic system located in floodlands serviced by a professional company. Even if the flood doesn’t affect nearby structures and houses, it cans still make a huge mess if that system backs up into your house.
Tetanus shots, soap and water
When was your last tetanus booster? It’s very reliable protection against a bacterium that 1) is in most soils and floodwaters, and 2) kills 10-20% of the people who develop it if they haven’t been vaccinated in the last decade, even with good medical care.
Careful washing with soap and clean water as soon as possible after emerging from flood waters is important. Not only tetanus, but many other pathogens can be washed off before they do you harm. Deeper wounds can be irrigated. I wash even if I don’t have any big bleedy wounds, as small skin breaks can also let nasties in.
Clothing should be washed in hot water and detergent before reuse.
Wrapping it up
These are just a few considerations when it comes to flooding and planning for “going under”. Watch 3BY for more flooding preps in the near future.