Emergency Prep - Floods

''Fail to prepare, prepare to fail"

With me being, well…me, it would be unusual to think I’d be prepared for anything. Just the other day my manager gave me a funny look when I said ‘I’m not that last minute’. So it’s interesting to know I have a little ‘emergency bag’ all packed and at the bottom of one of my wardrobes – just in case. I don’t know why it seemed to be high on my priority list seen as: I’m not in a flood risk zone, the earthquakes we experience where I’m from don’t manage to wake me up and there’s never been a storm bad enough to cause that much destruction in my area. But I just wanted to make sure that I was prepared in case something happened and I had to leave in a hurry – like a fire, a fire seems plausible.

                I have a small hold-all (small enough to carry on to a plane)which is BRIGHT pink and contains the following: Some jeans, some vest tops in case it’s the summer, but some layered items (a jumper and a huddy) if it’s a chillier season.  A mac – no not the computer, but a little rain mac - like the ones you get in a theme park when you go on the log-floom  or some other water ride (am I making sense here?) then to finish off the clothing I have the usual essentials – underwear, socks..yada yada. Extra things I have in there for those  ‘just in case’ moments would be: hand sanitizer – you never know when you’ll be able to use soap and such again and it’s easy and compact enough to use on the go. A spare toothbrush and travel toothpaste.  An empty water bottle. Sanitary products – unless you’re a female, you wouldn’t realise how vital these are.  I have photocopies of my ID (birth certificate, passport and driving licence) and a few loose photos of my family. Maybe this might give someone out there some ideas on what they might want to put into a little emergency pack?

Now, it only makes sense for me to write about what I know.  That just so happens to be floods. I work for a water company so I’m basically first in line to hear about flood warnings, flood disasters and so on. It’s only expected. So I thought I’d use my own little space to put some things out there that just might help someone someday (I hope anyways) seen as its coming round about flooding season now.

These are going to be a few hints and tips instead of facts and figures cause not all of that would be relevant to some people that read this. So first things first:

1.       If you know you’re in a flood risk zone, keep  important things high up - on a higher floor maybe, or a higher shelf. I know it’s a little bit of common sense and probably doesn’t need saying but it’s best to put it front of mind. You don’t want lose important possessions.

2.       Remember your pets. If a flood hits your home, make sure you move your family AND pets to higher/safer ground. We sometimes forget about our fury companions but chances are they’re going to be just as terrified as us, if not more.

3.       Put the plug in – this goes for baths and sinks alike (then weigh these down with something heavy). On a similar level, plug water inlet pipes with towels if you don’t have non-return valves in your home. This will help stop water coming in through the pipes under your sink/bath and any other water pipes connected to your home.

4.       Avoid walking or driving through water – as little as 6 inches of water can knock an adult down,  and 2ft of water can easily move a car.

5.       As soon as water enters your home, turn off water, gas and electricity off at the mains, but do remember to not try turn off the electricity if you have to step into the water to do so…you don’t want to put yourself at even more risk.

I think they’re the most helpful ones that I can think of. You can find more, as well as creating a flood plan at :Prepare For A Flood

One last thing, I would like to draw your attention to a video I came across on TED about a project that some young people put together to touch up photos and save memories after the tsunami hit, enjoy: