Flooding Preparedness and Prevention

No person or organization can absolutely prevent flooding, especially in very wet years or in times of extremely heavy rainfall. People can mitigate for flooding and its consequences, lessoning damages and threats to life and property.

Living in flood prone areas is a constant learning experience. No two years are ever the same, and escaping serious flooding one year is no guarantee you will be so lucky a second time. What will protect you is developing a solid understanding of the systems that impact local and regional flooding, implementing land management practices and home design to reduce your flooding risks, and plugging yourself into local weather service information so you can be proactive rather than reactive when the rains come.

Flooding facts:

• About 30 percent of all flood claims come from outside of the 100-year floodplain.

• Just an inch of water can cause costly damages to your property.

• A car and its passengers can be easily carried away by just two feet of water.

• New land development can increase flood risk, especially if the construction changes natural runoff flowpaths and reduces the amount of surface area that can absorb water, either by paving it or covering it with buildings. This means that construction up in the hills can have big impacts down in the flats.

• We don’t know as much about flooding and weather as you might think: 100-year floods don’t always happen just once every hundred years, and many of our flood maps are not current or accurate. Storms in recent years have approached or exceeded the 100-year flood level in Solano County, resulting in some of the wettest rainy seasons on record, with some of the largest storm and flooding events in memory.

What’s your risk?

Your chances of being flooded are much greater than many other risks you face. Living in a 100-year floodplain (most of Solano County), you have a 1 in 4 chance of being flooded during the period of a 30-year mortgage, a risk 27 times greater than your risk of fire.

Before there’s a Flood

If you live in a flood zone, you’ll need to take some precautions to assure the safety of your family and friends. The following steps should be planned and prepared in advance, and practiced, so that everyone in your family or home will know what to do when an emergency strikes.

• Keep emergency numbers by all phones.

• Know safe routes from your home or office to high ground.

• Develop and practice an evacuation plan. Your plan should consider anyone with special needs or movement limitations. During times when flooding is a possibility, make sure everyone in your house or office knows about the plan and is prepared to follow it.

• Keep your car’s gas tank full.

• Store emergency supplies at home, at work and in your car in easily accessible locations. Theses supplies should allow you to be self-sufficient for 72 hours and should be stored in a sturdy, easy-to-carry container such as a backpack, duffle bag, or covered trash container.

During the Flood

Before rising waters reach you there are still things you can do to protect yourself and property. You should do the following, as time permits, during a flood as the waters are rising:

• Evacuate if it appears necessary, or if you are so instructed.

• Lock your home when you leave.

• Turn of all utilities at the main power switch and close the main gas valve.

• Move all valuables to upper floors of your home or to higher elevations.

• Move your vehicles to high ground less likely to flood.

• Move outdoor objects indoors or to a more secure place.

• Stay informed: listen to your battery-powered radio for news and instructions, watch your local cable network television stations or use the internet to get updated weather information. Check out these information sources:

• KUIC 95.3 AM
• The Solano County Flood Hazard Warning Program, with current flooding information, available at the Solano County Water Agency website (www.scwa2.com) or by dialing (707) 455-1115 from any phone.
• The National Weather Service on your local cable network or at their website at www.crh.noaa.gov
• The Weather Channel on the internet at www.weather.com
• Weather information can also be found at commercial internet sites, such as www.accuweather.com

After the Flood

Even after flood waters begin to recede, it’s still dangerous. Keep yourself and your family safe by remaining cautious and alert.

Returning to your house:

• Listen to a radio or television in your safe location. Do not try to return home until authorities tell you it is safe to do so.

• Ensure access to your house is safe, and that there are no downed power lines, road washouts or debris posing a travel danger

• Complete a perimeter check of your house and note any structural or other damage. If serious, contact the local building inspector or structural engineer before entering any buildings.

• Stay out of buildings if floodwaters remain around or in the building.

• When re-entering your home do not use any device with an open flame, such as matches or lighters, because gas may be trapped inside. Use flashlights. Do not turn on electrical switches.

• If you smell volatile fumes such as gasoline, natural gas or propane, leave the property immediately and call you local gas company or fire department.

• Do not attempt to turn on your power until an electrician has inspected your system and determined that it is safe.

• Ensure that all heating systems and large appliances have been thoroughly inspected by a qualified technician before using them again.

Protect your family’s health by cleaning up all flood damage as soon as possible. Clean up spilled medicines, bleaches, gasoline, and other flammable liquids immediately. Any medicines and food that came into contact with flood waters may be contaminated and need to be thrown out.

• Do not return to your home to live until you determine that the building is structurally safe, completely clean and free of molds and bacteria. Until then stay with friends, relatives or at a temporary shelter for flood victims.

• If your well has been flooded, assume that the water in your home is not safe to drink. You will probably have to disinfect your well before using it again. Check with your local environmental health officer to find out how to do this. If you are on a public water system, listen to your local media for news from the public health authorities about whether or not your water is safe to drink. Boil questionable water for a minimum of five minutes before drinking to be sure its fully disinfected.

• Do not use your septic system until you are confident that the floodwaters have dropped below the distribution trenches in your septic tank.

• Have flood drains and sump pumps flushed and disinfected.

Flood Awareness & Preparation Resources

• Ready for the Flood- An Awareness and Preparedness Manual
  

• Solano County Office of Emergency Services

  707-748-1600

• Solano County Sheriff

  707-421-7090

• Solano County Water Agency

  707-451 6090

• Flood Hazard Warnings

  707-455-1115
  www.scwa2.com

• Disaster Preparedness

  http://www.disastercenter.com/

• Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH)

  http://www.flash.org/