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Living with Dams: Know Your Risk | April 2012
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Prepare your home and your
family.
Inform your family of dam failure
flood risks, and make sure each family
member knows what to do in the
event of an emergency.
Elevate your furnace, water heater, and
electric panel if they are susceptible to
flooding.
Install “check valves” in sewer traps to
prevent floodwater from backing up
into drains.
Seal basement walls with
waterproofing compounds to avoid
seepage.
Keep valued possessions and
important papers on an upper level of
your home or in a safety deposit box.
Prepare an emergency kit.
What should you do in the
event of an emergency?
If a flood is likely in your area,
you should:
Listen to the radio or television for
information.
Be aware that dam failure or
operational flooding can occur. If
there is any possibility of a flash flood,
move immediately to higher ground.
Do not wait for instructions to move.
Get to high ground if flooding is
eminent.
Be aware of streams, drainage
channels, canyons, and other areas
that may flood suddenly. Flash floods
can occur in these areas with or
without such typical warnings as rain
clouds or heavy rain.
If you must prepare to
evacuate, you should do the
following:
Secure your home. If you have time,
bring in outdoor furniture. Move
essential items to an upper floor.
Turn off utilities at the main switches
or valves if instructed to do so.
Disconnect electrical appliances. Do
not touch electrical equipment if you
are wet or standing in water.
If you have to leave your
home, remember these
evacuation tips:
Do not walk through moving water.
Six inches of moving water can make
you fall. If you have to walk in water,
walk where the water is not moving.
Use a stick to check the firmness of
the ground in front of you.
Do not drive into flooded areas. If
floodwaters rise around your car,
abandon the car and move to higher
ground if you can do so safely. You
and the vehicle can be quickly swept
away.
Do I need to buy flood
insurance?
Since standard homeowners insurance
doesn’t cover flooding, it’s important to
have protection from the floods associated
with hurricanes, tropical storms, heavy
rains, dam failures and other conditions
that impact the U.S.
In 1968, Congress created the National
Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) to help
provide a means for property owners to
financially protect themselves. The NFIP
offers flood insurance to homeowners,
renters, and business owners if their
community participates in the NFIP.
Participating communities agree to adopt
and enforce ordinances that meet or
exceed FEMA requirements to reduce the
risk of flooding.
Flood insurance is highly
recommended but not required for
those living in dam failure flood
inundation areas.
To identify a community’s flood risk, FEMA
conducts a Flood Insurance Study. The
study includes statistical data for river flow,
storm tides, hydrologic/hydraulic analyses,
and rainfall and topographic surveys. FEMA
uses this data to create the flood hazard
maps that outline your community’s
different flood risk areas.
To find out more about the NFIP and how
it can help you protect yourself go to the
ebsite. At this site you
can learn your risk, find out how to get
flood insurance and find an agent.
Your community has to be participating in
the National Flood Insurance Program in
order for you to be able to purchase flood
Just because you haven’t experienced a
flood in the past, doesn’t mean you won’t
in the future. Flood risk isn’t just based on
history. It’s also based on a number of
other factors: potential dam failure, rainfall,
river-flow, topography, flood control
measures, and changes due to building
and development.
Flood Insurance
To find out more about the
NFIP and how it can help you
protect yourself go to the
ebsite.
At this site you can learn your
risk, find out how to get flood
insurance and find an agent.