Floods are natural disasters, which have increased over the years along with earthquakes. Generally, both are those natural disasters that cause a humongous amount of casualties. Many of us do not know.
Types of Flood
Floods are of different types but we only know 2 which is one with Rainfall & second is Flash floods. As per the ‘National Weather service, Floods are generally long term and Flash floods could happen much quicker due to the sudden release of water or excessive rainfall within a short period of time.’
We never heard of Saudi Arabia having a flood in the region but recently along with Kuwait even Tabuk followed the flooding too.
Floods can occur due to various reasons
The following are some of the few reasons for flooding:-
- Heavy nonstop rainfall
- Rain storm
- Broken Dam
- Unnecessary blockade of the River water.
- Damaged drainage system overall (clog up)
- Pipe Leakage or burst
- Â Cloud burst
- Shifting of tectonic plates under the sea (tsunami)
Shocking images from the widespread #flooding from heavy rain caused by the warm side of Winter Storm #Eboni. pic.twitter.com/3XTG4MnCz8
— AMHQ (@AMHQ) 28 December 2018
What are the effects of flooding?
Contamination of drinking water & Chemicals leak is commonly seen during these times. Flooding in recent years has caused more damage due to the people cutting the trees. So, the ground is unable to absorb the amount of rising water.
Flooding risks are not to be taken lightly; accidents occur due to various reasons. Especially due to moving vehicles as they slip. Even 2 feet of water can carry a car & start to float. It can even kill a person if he is on the way of floating vehicles or debris.
Floods can damage life and property. So keep important things with you that you can carry easily. Quicksand can occur easily due to the ground being unable to absorb the water at that speed.
How to stop floods?
They are unstoppable!
Countries that are well known for flooding
- Bangladesh
- USA
- Philippines
- India
- Sri Lanka
- Indonesia
- Japan
- China
- Malaysia
Floods due to rising sea levels could affect any coastal area easily. Even riverside towns can become a victim. This flood was unexpected. This means that flooding can even occur in desert areas. Hence never underestimate it.
The most unexpected news was about Kuwait – on the 14th November 2018 they had a flood.
Precautions are better than cure
Block the holes that could cause the water to gush inside the house. Insurance documents should be with you safe and dry. If the they accept digital copies than even better if its safe in the cloud. Medicine packets should be with you in a dry bag. Bag such as this can be useful for the mobile phones, money, and other small packets.
If you have access to stop the power supply then do so as soon as possible before the water levels increase. Prepare for how you could preserve clean drinking water with you.
Flood watch is issued by National Weather Service in the USA that is to indicate that there is a chances of flood in the areas that are highly likely to suffer from floods. Having a good quality rope with you is always useful if you live in a flood prone area especially. If you live in the UK then please check met weather forecast.
TO KNOW ABOUT FLOOD PLANNINGÂ >>>>>CLICK HERE<<<<< AND CHECK YOUR AREA
Safety measures during the floods are more important
Avoid driving during the floods as this may cause accidents and also chance or cars or motor bikes going off hand and drown a person. Especially in a running water even if its a six inches of water it can make you fall and you can get hurt. Running water also may cause powerful whirlpools on the side of the roads especially and a person and anything can get sucked easily (Stay away from it!).
UK weather forecast: HEAVY RAIN sparks FLOOD WARNING – ‘Immediate action required’ https://t.co/W8eDPNE9Io pic.twitter.com/zULoYaWrtq
— The New York Times Post (@nytimespost) 14 November 2018
Flood safety tips
The question of how do you stay safe during the floods can be slightly different for different climate conditions. Precaution taken during the floods are mentioned as follows-
- Stay safe on a higher areas but stay away from the cliffs.
- Do not leave your pets tied in one place!
- It is important to store food especially and all other important useful things on a high and dry area.
- While you store the drinking water try to boil the water as much as possible and then use it.
- If you live near by the river side or soft ground then try to evacuate and move to another place. Buildings along with houses also collapse and can cause damage due to a land slide.
- Cover yourself fully while sleeping during these conditions as animals and insects can come out of areas due to the flooding. (Snakes, roaches, lizards, spiders, bedbugs etc.)
- Wear Long Gum boots in case of sharp objects can penetrate your shoes as well.
- Stay away from walking near the electric polls ( there could be shock circuit due to underground or downed power lines. Life threatening )
- Walk with a Stick just like the one used by people who walk on the snow mountains (strong & pointed)
- Potholes in the streets
- Gutters are open stay away and look for any signs of a branch or something popping out of the ground
How do we understand the flood warning sirens and flood signs ?
- Should not walk on the sidewalk closer to the road curb as there could be open drains but decide if it’s safe and you know the road.
- Don’t go on the bridge when you see a running flooded water underneath
- Do not walk near the electric poles or wires as the water around could be electrically charged and a person could get a shock and could be life-threatening too.
- The water supply could get affected due to the power cuts.
- Listen to the radio – buy a transistor radio if you don’t have it as it could be useful anywhere.
- In the United States, there’s NOAA weather radio station which you could tune in if you live there.
- Buy solar-powered products if it is safe to do so even (wind up torches )
- Do not try to swim in the flooded area unnecessarily.
- Wind power is best to generate electric power during this time but storms can damage it.
- Walk sideways in case of getting stuck in running water because you could use the force itself to make you come out
- Long exposure to wet conditions can cause hypothermia.
What to do after a flood?
Drained water causes puddles and quicksand in many areas. Be more cautious, especially due to the slippery surfaces. Clean the flooring with anti-bacterial liquid. If you have a carpet then you can’t tell what’s going to be its condition. Get your floor checked if it is wooden, then there are chances of wood rot.
Having tiles or marble stone flooring is easy to get cleaned. If there was a power failure for safety, then do not eat fresh food from your refrigerator. It may have been in longer than four hours. This is because of hygiene and health purposes.
Precautions to take after the flooding is over
If it is longer than twenty-four hours, then do not consume anything from a deep freezer. Do not consume any food items that were exposed to the floodwaters.
You can use a stick if the surface is muddy. There could be a soft area and you might knock yourself off if not careful. Many times floodwaters could bring diseases with them.
This is due to the dead animals or humans and waste. Return home only if it is deemed safe by the authorities to do so. These tips are subject to the situation you might be in and the country you live in. Hence, do not take it if it doesn’t apply to your country. The flooding strength could vary.
Learn more about flood preparation if you live in the UK
The environment agency in the UK looks after the environment’s protection and improves its quality. It has published a really helpful booklet of 24 pages on flood preparation, during, and after as well.
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