How to Prepare for, Deal With and Survive FLOODS

Prepare for,
Survive,
and Live
After a Flood

Think how big a gallon jug is?
Consider hundreds of thousands of those
jugs, each weighing over 8 pounds, moving.
That’s power.
Add in the equation on the following slide.
Water Is Powerful

Do not do what the people in this image are
doing!
You will get swept away.

Six inches
of moving water
will take a person down.
One foot
of moving water
can sweep a car away.

Above is the result of a flash flood. In the
desert.
In fact, deserts are particularly prone to flash
floods due to rocky terrain and lack of
vegetation and dirt to absorb rainfall.

Having commanded a Special Forces A-Team
that was focused on Maritime Operations, I
learned first-hand the power of water.
To demonstrate this, the instructors at the Royal
Danish Navy Fromankorpset Combat Swim
School had us try to swim to land near the
mouth of a river. It easily pushed us back out to
sea despite our best efforts.

How Likely Is a Flood In Your Area?
FEMA has a web site where you can check the flood
map for your location. Remember, though, that if
you are traveling, you don’t know the possibilities
along roads and in different areas.
FEMA Flood Map Service Center

Note that there are many areas that were not in
flood zones, that are now included because of rising
water levels. A new map as of 2020 includes 6
million more homes than previously mapped. Check
this new interactive map to find your location in a
Bloomberg article:
https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2020-
flood-risk-zone-us-map/?leadSource=uverify
%20wall
The Area Study

There are three main types of floods:
Coastal (surge) Flood
River (fluvial) Flood
Surface (pluvial) Flood)
How Likely Is A Flood
In Your Area?

Occurs on coast-lines of large bodies of water as the
name implies.
It is the result of extreme tides caused by severe
weather.
Storm surge pushes water onto shore.
A storm surge timed with a high tide can be
devastating.
There are 3 levels:
Minor: some beach erosion but no major damage.
Moderate: more beach erosion and some damage
to homes and businesses.
Major: Serious threat to life and property. Large
scale beach erosion. Roads will be flooded and
structures damaged.
Coastal Flood

Remember that a tidal
surge can cause
flooding.

When we lived on Hilton Head
Island, many people were
unaware that almost the entire
island is a flood zone. When one
friend who lived on the beach
heard that there was a possibility
of a twelve foot storm surge, she
thought that meant 12 feet
horizontal (inland). We had to
explain that meant 12 feet
vertical which then reaches out
horizontally.

If you live in a tidal zone, make
sure you understand tide tables.
Not all tides are the same. There
are ‘spring’ tides which have
nothing to do with spring, but
rather when the Earth, moon and
Sun are in alignment. This occurs
twice a month and produces
higher than usual tides.
Combine a spring tide with storm
surge and you have a disaster.

This happens when excessive rainfall over a period
of time overwhelms a river’s capacity to carry the
water.
It can also be caused by snow melt, ice jams, and
debris jams.
A dam failure can cause an abrupt and catastrophic
form of river flood. And vice versa: a river flood can
cause dam and levee failures downstream.
There are two types of river floods:
Overbank flooding is when the water continues to
rise over the banks.
Flash flooding occurs when there is an intense, high
velocity rainfall. These often are doubly dangerous
as debris can be carried by the flood water.
Remember, it might not be raining where you are,
but the river can flood from rain and run off
River Flood

The Big Thompson River flood in Colorado in 1976 killed
144 people.
12 inches of rain fell in four hours. The river is usually
an average of eighteen inches deep. After this sudden
rain, a wall of water 20 feet high swept through the
canyon at 14 miles an hour.
Farther down stream there had been no rain at all so
this surprised many.
The car below was crushed by the river flood.

When I was boon docking in the Valley of the Gods in
southeast Utah I saw a storm to the north above the
high escarpment miles away.
Within ten minutes the water from that distant storm
flooded dry creek beds I had just crossed in my Jeep
with a torrent of water and made them impassable.

More and more dams are aging and degrading.
During your AREA STUDY, you should know whether
you live downstream of a dam and what the
potential is.
I have a free short read about when the
St. Francis Dam failed available on Amazon.
Dam Failure

This happens separate from an existing body of
water. Torrential rainfall overwhelms the area’s
normal way of channeling water.
Intense rain saturates an urban drainage system
and water back flows into streets and structures.
Run off isn’t absorbed by the ground and the water
level rises.
(our house flooded at over a mile high in altitude, on
top of a ridge, in Boulder, Colorado, because the
rocky ground couldn’t absorb a short, intense period
of rain— the ground water simply rose up into it).
Surface Flood

A big concern with a surface flood is when the
sewage system overflows.
Also, floods can cause many stored toxins to be
inundated and poison the flood waters.
NEVER DRINK FLOOD WATER.
This is why maintaining an adequate emergency
supply of drinking water is critical as tap water
sources will be contaminated.
You will be surrounded by water you cannot drink!
For the same reason I recommend a filtering
system.
More on water in that slideshow.
Surface Flood

A Flood Watch means a flood is possible
A Flood Warning means a flood is happening
Flood Alerts

If you have time, move valuables to the highest level
before evacuating.
When evacuating, move to higher ground, away
from water sources such as rivers or lakes.
NEVER go around a barrier on a road during a flood.
If evacuating by car avoid standing water.
Drive slowly.
If walking, never go through moving water.
Remember earlier when I gave how much water
weighed? Mass times velocity will knock you off your
feet and sweep you into deeper water.
What To Do

Never drive through a flooded road or bridge.
Do not stay in a flooded car.
If your car is swept away or submerged, stay calm
and break the window to get out or go through the
sun roof.
Hold your breath, open the door, and swim for the
surface.
You will be in the current.
Point your feet downstream.
Go over obstacles, never under.
Strive to angle toward dry ground but don’t fight
directly against the current.
If stuck above a flash flood, such as in a tree, stay
there and wait for rescue.
What To Do

While on the water, always wear your life vest.
It’s the equivalent of putting your seat belt on in a car.
Too many people have drowned with a life vest left on
the boat.
The very nature of an accident means it’s not
anticipated. Therefore you probably won’t have a chance
to put it on before you’re in the water.
I wrote an article on how after reading a tweet about
always wearing a life vest would have saved someone’s
friends lives, I started wearing mine all the time and
there’s a good chance it saved my life when I capsized in
the fast moving Little River in TN while kayaking.

A good tool to have within reach of your car is a
combination seat belt cutter and glass breaker.
They will not break your front or rear window. Use
on a side window. However, if the side window is
laminated, it will not work. Roll your windows down
ASAP as soon as there is the possibility of going
under water. Some new cars even has a system
where the windows will automatically go down if
water hits a certain level.

Your Home
If you are caught at home and can’t evacuate:
Pack any coolers with as much ice as possible and
use this first before opening fridge once power
goes out.
Fill bathtubs with water.
Make sure all vehicles are topped off.
Know where the closest shelter for you and pets is.
Unplug everything.
Do not use tap water after a storm until certain it’s
not contaminated.

It’s too late to prepare once the flood is on you.
There will also be a huge run of panicked people
buying many of these same items, so order it now so
you have it ready.
This sounds trite, but after every flood, most people
list these following items as things they wished
they’d had on hand.
Not only for the flood itself, but as importantly, for
living afterwards in the chaos.
What To Have Ready BEFORE

Enough for at least three days.
Minimum is one gallon per person, per day.
Double that for warm climates.
8 average 500ml water bottles is just over one
gallon.
A case of water (24 bottles) is the minimum three
days supply per person.
I recommend at least two cases per person.
WATER

You must have a way of filtering water for
your family. Assume all water you find in
nature is contaminated.
Assume your tap water is contaminated
until it is confirmed otherwise.
Links for recommended filters on my web
site.

Non-perishables for three days
minimum.
Food that doesn’t require refrigeration.
Don’t have food that will make you
thirsty.
Plan for infants and special dietary
requirements.
Keep separate and out of normal food
rotation.
Note expiration dates.
Click on image for a good supply from
the company that made our Long
Range Patrol meals in Special Forces.
It’s what we have on hand and in our
grab-n-go bags.
Also good for camping.
FOOD

I have a variety of ration bars
ER Bar
Grizzly Bear Emergency Food Rations
DaTrex 3600
Below are some before going into a ziplock
bag and into my Jeep.
They taste lousy but can keep you alive.
Store in a ziplock bag because once opened
you can’t close them again.
FOOD

Besides the light on plasma lighter, I carry a headlamp.
In case you misjudged your hike or there is a delay, a
headlamp can help you get back to the trail head after dark
while leaving your hands free.
The one on the left is rechargeable and in my bike bag.
The headlamp in the middle is battery powered and in my
day pack.
I also carry the small single battery flashlight in my
Leatherman case.
Light

Power
Smaller Solar Power Gear:
These have lithium batteries which produces more power for the weight.
On the dash of my Jeep, I keep this Solar Charge Pack. Essentially, being
on the dash, it stays fully charged. I keep it in place with Velcro strips.
What’s neat about this particular model is it has three cords built into the
back: micro-USB, Lightning and C. Nothing worse than having power and
no cord. Links to all gear on my web site.

Know what the emergency broadcast stations are.
Below is a hand crank radio/flashlight combo I have
on hand and in all my grab-n-go bags. Click on
image for link.
Portable battery/hand crank radio.

There are plenty of prepared ones you can buy.
Below is one I have in my house and in my grab-n-
go bags.
Click on image for link.
Make sure you have medications to last a week.
Extra glasses, contacts, etc.
First Aid Kit

Power will be out. ATMs won’t work
Store computer systems will have crashed.
It will be a cash environment for a while.
Until it’s a Zombie environment.
I’d have you click on image, but instead, go to your
ATM now.
CASH

How to turn off the water coming into the house.
How to turn off the power.
Where the safe spots in the house are.
Where the family IRP- immediate rally point—
outside the house where all will gather is.
Who the out of area emergency point of contact is
for the family.
Everyone in your
household needs to
know:

More Free Information
I’ve put all the links to free apps, all gear mentioned
and web pages on my web site at
www.bobmayer.com
Go to the GEAR page
There are also free books on my web site, updated
daily.

New York Times bestselling author, a graduate of West
Point and former Green Beret. He commanded a Green
Beret A-Team and also served in a variety of other
positions.
He was a certified instructor at the JFK Special
Warfare Center & School which trains Green Berets
and also runs the Survival, Evasion, Resistance and
Escape (SERE) school.
www.bobmayer.com

How to Prepare for, Deal With and Survive FLOODS

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