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Monday, June 20, 2011

Floods

According to FEMA, flooding is the nation's most common natural disaster and can happen in every U.S. state and terrritory. It's important to be prepared for flooding no matter where you live, particularly if you live in low-lying areas such as those found in Delawar, new water or downstream from a dam.









Three Steps To Prepare For A Flood

1. Get A Kit


  • Your kit should contain essential food, water and supplies for each person in your household for at least three days, a battery-powered or hand-crank radio, extra flashlights and batteries. Include important documents, identification and proof of residency, etc. You may also want to prepare a protable kit and keep it in your car.
2. Make A Plan

  • Make a Family Emergency Plan. Your family may not be together when disaster strikes so it is important toknow how you will contact one another, how you will get back together and what you will do in case of an emergency.

  • Have prearranged meeting places both within and outside of your immediate neighborhood.

  • Because local phone lines might be jammed have a out-of-town contact family members can call and check-in with who can relay the messages if you should be separated.

  • Familiarize yourself with emergency plans at places where your family spends time: work, daycare, school, etc. If no plans exist, consider volunteering to help create one or contact the NCC Citizen Corps for help or advice.

  • Tailor your plan to the specific needs of your family

    • If needed make special considerations for small children, elderly or disabled members of your family.

    • Make a plan for your pets.

  • Take a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) class such as the one being offered by the New Castle County Citizen Corps this weekend!

  • Purchase a flood insurance policy if you don't already have one or review your current insurance policy to ensure you're properly covered.
3. Be Informed





  • Familiarize yourself with these terms to help identify a flood hazard:

    • Flood Watch: Flooding is possible, Tune into NOAA Weather Radio, commercial radio, or television for infromation.

    • Flash Flood Watch: Flash flooding is possible. Be prepared to move to higher ground; listen to NOAA Weather Radio, commercial radio or television for information.

    • Flood Warning: Flooding is occuring or will occur soon; if advised to evacuate do so immediately.

    • Flash Flood Warning: A flash flood is occuring; seek higher ground on foot immediately.

For more infromation on:
River Conditions
Flood preparedness
National Flood Insurance Program
Disaster Assistance

Some infromation for this post was taken from ready.gov












Some of The Most Frequent Or Possible Causes of Flooding in New Castle County



Tropical Storms and Hurricanes: Hurricanes pack a triple punch: high winds, soaking rain, and flying debris. They can cause storm surges to coastal areas, as well as create heavy rainfall which in turn causes flooding hundreds of miles inland. While all coastal areas are at risk, certain cities are particularly vulnerable and could have losses similar to or even greater than those caused by the 2005 hurricane, Katrina, in New Orleans and Mississippi.

When hurricanes weaken into tropical storms, they generate rainfall and flooding that can be especially damaging since the rain collects in one place. In 2001, Tropical Storm Allison produced more than 30 inches of rainfall in Houston in just a few days, flooding over 70,000 houses and destroying 2,744 homes.

Heavy Rains: Several areas of the country are at heightened risk for flooding due to heavy rains. The Northwest is at high risk due to La NiƱa conditions, which include: snow melts, heavy rains, and recent wildfires. And the Northeast is at high risk due to heavy rains produced from Nor'easters.

This excessive amount of rainfall can happen throughout the year, putting your property at risk.

Levees & Dams: Levees are designed to protect against a certain level of flooding. However, levees can and do decay over time, making maintenance a serious challenge. Levees can also be overtopped, or even fail during large floods, creating more damage than if the levee wasn't even there. Because of the escalating flood risks in areas with levees, especially in the mid-west, FEMA strongly recommends flood insurance for all homeowners in these areas.

Flash Floods: Flash floods are the #1 weather-related killer in the U.S. since they can roll boulders, tear out trees, and destroy buildings and bridges. A flash flood is a rapid flooding of low-lying areas in less than six hours, which is caused by intense rainfall from a thunderstorm or several thunderstorms. Flash floods can also occur from the collapse of a man-made structure or ice dam.

New Development: Construction and development can change the natural drainage and create brand new flood risks. That's because new buildings, parking lots, and roads mean less land to absorb excess precipitation from heavy rains, hurricanes, and tropical storms.

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