Floods Tips

Oklahoma Severe Weather Awareness

February 21-27 is Severe Weather Awareness Week in Oklahoma.  This is a great time to make sure you and your family are prepared for the kinds of severe weather experienced in Oklahoma, including tornadoes, flash floods and thunderstorms.
Viewer Tip: Consider building or updating your family emergency preparedness kit this week.  Having supplies set aside will help ensure you and [...]

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Louisiana Severe Weather Awareness

February 21-27 is Severe Weather Awareness Week in Louisiana.  This is a great time to make sure you and your family are prepared for the kinds of severe weather experienced in Louisiana, including flash floods, thunderstorms, tornadoes and hurricanes.
Viewer Tip: Consider building or updating your family emergency preparedness kit this week.  Having supplies set aside will help ensure you [...]

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Arkansas Severe Weather Awareness

February 22-26 is Severe Weather Awareness Week in Arkansas.  This is a great time to make sure you and your family are prepared for the kinds of severe weather experienced in Arkansas, including flash floods, thunderstorms and tornadoes.
Viewer Tip: Consider building or updating your family emergency preparedness kit this week.  Having supplies set aside will [...]

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Arizona Severe Weather Awareness

February 22-26 is Severe Weather Awareness Week in Arizona.  This is a great time to make sure you and your family are prepared for the kinds of severe weather experienced in Arizona, including flash floods, thunderstorms and damaging winds.
Viewer Tip: Consider building or updating your family emergency preparedness kit this week.  Having supplies set aside [...]

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Alabama Severe Weather Awareness

February 22-26 is Severe Weather Awareness Week in Alabama.  This is a great time to make sure you and your family are prepared for the kinds of severe weather experienced in Alabama, including flash floods, thunderstorms, tornadoes and hurricanes.
Viewer Tip: Consider building or updating your family emergency preparedness kit this week.  Having supplies set aside [...]

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Texas Severe Weather Awareness

February 21-27 is Severe Weather Awareness Week in Texas.  This is a great time to make sure you and your family are prepared for the kinds of severe weather experienced in Texas, including flash floods, thunderstorms, tornadoes and hurricanes.
Viewer Tip: Consider building or updating your family emergency preparedness kit this week.  Having supplies set aside will help ensure you [...]

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Snowmelt Flooding

In terms of area, property damage and deaths, eight of the most significant floods in the 20th century were snowmelt-related. Several factors contribute to snowmelt flooding:

High soil moisture content: Soil that is saturated with water in late fall may not have time to drain and dry out before it freezes, resulting in deep ground frost [...]

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Floods and Frozen Ground

Heavy rain falling on frozen ground means that water will run over the ground quickly rather than soaking in, increasing the potential for flash flooding.  Melting snow can add even more water to the mix.  In smaller rivers and streams, ice jam flooding may occur when ice breaks up and floats downstream, where it piles [...]

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Turn Around, Don’t Drown

The Centers for Disease Control estimate that more than half of all flood-related drownings occur when a vehicle is driven into flood waters; the next highest percentage of deaths is from walking into or near flood waters.  Many people falsely believe that cars, trucks and SUVs are heavy enough to maintain contact with the road [...]

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Manic Mold

Mold spores are naturally present in the air at harmless concentrations, but with added moisture can grow to levels that spur allergies and asthma in susceptible individuals.  After heavy rains or when leaks or flooding dampen homes, dormant mold spores can grow expolsively and release enough new spores to sicken people.
Viewer Tip: It is impossible [...]

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Flooding Can be Beneficial

Most people associate flooding with events like Hurricane Katrina, but natural and cyclical flooding of streams and rivers caused by rain or snow melt, though sometimes damaging to human property, can be beneficial for water quality and aquatic life. When water levels in streams or rivers rise, the fish and wildlife move from the stream [...]

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Facing Floods

In 2007, floods occurred in every U.S. state, causing claims of nearly 600 million dollars. Flash floods – usually caused by sudden, heavy rainfall – can occur in just a few hours or less; rushing water from flash floods can move rocks and debris, and damage homes and buildings. 
Viewer Tip:  People who live in low-lying [...]

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Retrofitting

If your home or business was damaged by winds or flood waters from Hurricane Ike, you are probably beginning to make repairs. 
Viewer Tip: As you clean up and rebuild, remember that there are ways to retrofit your property so that it will better withstand hurricane conditions, should they occur again.

Roof: Bracing gabled roofs will prevent [...]

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Preppin’

September is National Preparedness Month, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to encourage all Americans to take easy steps to prepare for natural disasters and emergencies at home, work, and school.  A study conducted by the Ad Council and DHS in 2006 found that 91 percent of respondents said it was “very” [...]

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Cleaning Up

Winds and heavy rain from Hurricane Ike took a toll on Houston and surrounding communities.  As flood waters recede, many home and business owners will be facing cleanup activities.
Viewer Tip: When the water goes down, keep these tips in mind to assess damage and begin clean-up activities safely:

Pay close attention to your local media for [...]

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Inland Flooding

A major threat hurricanes and tropical storms bring to land is inland flooding, which results from intense rainfall from the storms. The intensity of rainfall does not directly relate to the wind speed of the storm, however – some intense flooding events occur during weaker storms that slowly drift or stall over one area.  A [...]

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A Moldy Situation

After some natural disasters, such as floods and hurricanes, standing water and excess moisture can cause mold to grow in homes and buildings.  If you are returning to a home or building that has been flooded, it is important to remember that mold may be present.  Some individuals - including those with asthma, allergies, breathing difficulties, or compromised [...]

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Understanding Flood Odds

Recent flooding in the Midwest has been described as a ”500-year flood,” but just what does that mean?  According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the occurrence of a 500-year flood doesn’t depend on what happened last year, fifteen years ago (the Great Flood of 1993), or even 100 years ago.  Instead, the term “500-year flood” is based [...]

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Floods and Health

Has your home been affected by flood waters?  Flood waters can damage sewage lines and water pipes, making plumbing and taps unsafe for use.  Additionally, flood waters may contain chemicals, wastes, bacteria, and other pollutants that can make you sick.
Viewer Tip: Throw away any foods that have come in contact with flood waters – some [...]

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Cleaning Up (Midwest)

Heavy rainfall across the midwest over the past two weeks has resulted in historic flooding.  As flood waters recede over the next week, many home and business owners will be facing cleanup activities.
Viewer Tip: When the water goes down, keep these tips in mind to assess damage and begin clean-up activities safely:

Use Common Sense. Flood [...]

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