Flood Safety and Preparation Resources

“Stay Safe” is SEMSWA’s Public Awareness Plan which has been created to ensure that residents within SEMSWA’s jurisdiction know their risk, plan accordingly, and Stay Safe.

Every year during Flood Safety Awareness Month, SEMSWA educates citizens about how floods occur and what residents can do to safeguard their lives and property. To find out more about our events, visit the Calendar. Being outside the designated flood zone is not necessarily safe. More than 25% of all flood claims are from outside the flood zone.

You can be prepared by taking steps to reduce risk and knowing how to respond to a flood.

Risk Reduction

• Preparation & Response
• What to do in a Flash Flood

Emergency Action

• Know Your Hazard
• Preparation & Response
• Be Prepared
• What do do in a Flash Flood
• Get Flood Insurance
• Build Responsibly
• Preserve the Floodplain

Be safe during a Flood

Hopefully, you never have to experience a flood firsthand. But if you do, there are a few things you can do to stay safe.

• When a flood warning is issued, heed official instructions.
• Don’t walk through a flooded area. Just six inches of moving water can knock you down.
• Don’t drive through a flooded area. Just two feet of water can lift and move a car, even an SUV. More people drown in their cars than anywhere else during a flood.
• Keep away from downed power lines and any other electrical wires—electrocution is often a major cause of death in floods.
• Watch out for animals who have lost their homes during a flood. Animals may seek shelter in your home and aggressively defend themselves.