Your Guide to Staying Ahead of the Storm—Floods

1/13/22 - Zoro Staff

A flood is a natural disaster that can occur either slowly or quickly and is the most common natural disaster in the United States. By planning for flood safety now, you’ll be ready to put flood safety measures into place should the waters start to rise.

Know the Different Types of Floods and Alerts

There are two main types of flooding: floods and flash floods.

A flood is a long-term overflow of water onto dry land that can last days or weeks, often overflowing the banks of a stream or river. A flash flood, on the other hand, is fast-moving water typically caused by heavy rainfall in a short amount of time (usually less than six hours), and can happen in city streets, riverbeds, or canyons.

There are two emergency alerts for floods and flash floods:

A flood or flash flood watch means conditions are favorable for flooding and a flood might not occur, but it’s possible.
A flood or flash flood warning is issued when a flood or flash flood is happening or about to happen and everyone should move to high ground immediately.

Know Your Flooding Risk

No matter where your business is located, it’s important to know the risk floods pose so you develop appropriate flood safety plans.

First, find out how prone your area is to flooding. Plug your address into FEMA’s Flood Map Service Center to learn how likely floods are to occur. A good local resource is your county planning department or geologist who can tell you if your business or residence is in a flood-prone area.

Where to Find Reliable Information

Many organizations can be relied upon to provide trusted weather information, including flood-related alerts:

National Weather Service: Issuing all weather watches and warnings, the NWS is the go-to source for weather information in the United States.
Local and national media: Many TV and some radio stations have meteorologists on staff who will report if flooding is happening or may occur.
NOAA weather radio: Having a weather radio is highly recommended, as they provide watches, warnings, and forecasts 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEAs): These critical public safety messages are sent to your phone through your wireless carrier by state and local public safety agencies, FEMA, the National Weather Service, and other authorized government authorities.

Create a Flood Emergency Preparedness Plan

Emergency Preparedness Checklist

Each business should develop a flood emergency preparedness plan before the weather turns foul. This plan should be well-communicated to, and practiced by, all employees.

Before a flood: prevent release of dangerous chemicals, establish an emergency communication method, contact your insurance provider, maintain an accurate product inventory, and plug drains to prevent floodwater backups.
During a flood: send non-critical staff home; raise elevators to the second floor and turn them off; unplug electrical items; move to higher ground if possible; and take cell phones, chargers, and emergency kits with you.
After a flood: check local news to make sure water is safe to drink, avoid floodwaters, clean and disinfect everything that got wet, and contact your insurance agent

Practice, Practice, Practice

When doing any flood safety planning, be sure employees practice it regularly so they are ready to spring into action if a flood ever occurs.

Develop an emergency communications plan prior to any potential flood.
Practice evacuation and flood protection plans on a regular basis.
Make sure employees know where the central meeting point is and how to get there.

Create a Emergency Supplies Kit (Including First Aid)

Before a flood happens, every business should have emergency supplies kits and first aid kits conveniently located. Make sure employees know what’s in each kit and where they can be found so they can be grabbed quickly in case of a flood evacuation.

Supplies that should be in an Emergency Supplies kit include:

Water
Battery-powered or hand-crank radio
Flashlights
First aid kit
Extra batteries for radios and flashlights
Dust masks
Cell phone charging packs (be sure to keep these charged)

Preparation Is the Best Safety Precaution for Floods

Though floods can be devastating, putting flood protection in place before a disaster occurs can be the most cost-effective way to shield people and minimize damage to businesses. Start building your flood safety kits with the full selection of emergency preparedness equipment from Zoro.

Sources: National Weather Service| Ready.gov | OSHA | American Red Cross