It is important to keep in mind however; all floods are not the same. Some floods develop slowly, sometimes over a period of days. But flash floods can develop quickly, sometimes in just a few minutes and without any visible signs of rain. Flash floods often have a dangerous wall of roaring water that carries rocks, mud, and other debris and can sweep away most things in its path.

Be aware of flood hazards no matter where you live, but especially if you live in a low-lying area, near water or downstream from a dam. Every state is at risk from this hazard.

Before a Flood

• Avoid building in a flood prone area unless you elevate and reinforce your home.
• Elevate the furnace, water heater, and electric panel if your area is prone to flooding.
• Install “check valves” in sewer traps to prevent floodwater from backing up into the drains of your home.
• Contact community officials to find out if they are planning to construct barriers (levees, beams, floodwalls) to stop floodwater from entering the homes in your area.
• Seal the walls in your basement with waterproofing compounds to avoid seepage.

The FloodSax products are extremely useful in preparing for a flood.

FloodSax bags

• They can be activated and used to divert a flow of water away from your home
• They can prevent water from entering a doorway or basement window.
• They can absorb any water that has gotten in.
• They can also be rolled and placed in toilets to act as a plug to prevent sewer backup through the toilets.
• These products are indorsed by the Zurich Insurance company for being a way for homeowners to protect their property from the damages of floods

During a Flood

• Listen to the radio or television for information.
• Be aware that flash flooding can occur. If there is any possibility of a flash flood, move immediately to higher ground. Do not wait for instructions to move.
• Be aware of streams, drainage channels, canyons, and other areas known to flood suddenly. Flash floods can occur in these areas with or without much warning

If you must prepare to evacuate, you should do the following:

• Secure your home. If you have time, bring in outdoor furniture. Move essential items to a higher level.
• Turn off utilities at the main switches or valves if instructed to do so. Disconnect electrical appliances. Do not touch electrical equipment if you are wet or standing in water.

If you have to leave your home, remember these evacuation tips:

• Do not walk through moving water. Six inches of moving water can make you fall. If you have to walk in water, walk where the water is not moving. Use a stick to check the firmness of the ground in front of you.
• Do not drive into flooded areas. If floodwaters rise around your car, abandon the car and move to higher ground if you can do so safely. You and the vehicle can be quickly swept away.

After a Flood

• Listen for news reports to learn whether the community’s water supply is safe to drink.
• Avoid floodwaters; water may be contaminated by oil, gasoline, or raw sewage. Water may also be electrically charged from underground or downed power lines.
• Avoid moving water.
• Be aware of areas where floodwaters have receded. Roads may have weakened and could collapse under the weight of a car.
• Stay away from downed power lines, and report them to the power company.
• Return home only when authorities say it is safe.
• Stay out of any building if it is surrounded by floodwaters.
• Be very careful when entering homes or buildings; there may be hidden damage, particularly in foundations.
• Service damaged septic tanks, cesspools, pits, and leaching systems as soon as possible. Damaged sewage systems are serious health hazards.
• Clean and disinfect everything that got wet. Mud left from floodwater can contain sewage and chemicals.
• Get rid of wet porous items and run strong fans if possible, mold can grow very quickly in damp environments.

Floods and flash floods occur within all 50 states and can be extremely dangerous. They are the most common and widespread of all natural disasters next to fire, so knowledge and preparation is extremely important and will help keep losses to a minimum.

If you have had a significant amount of water in the basement, there are many things that may have occurred, and they can be very dangerous. Call the power company and tell them to disconnect the service, or have an electrician check to make sure it’s safe.

Some furnaces and water heaters are connected to the electrical system and stepping into standing water in the same area could be very dangerous.

Also be aware that if the flooding has come from a river it could contain sewage dead animals or other unpleasant things.. If this is the case you may have many other issues than just some water. Surfaces can be disinfected with a solution of one part bleach to nine parts water.

Once a flood has subsided, it is very important that the house be dried out as quickly and thoroughly as possible. The homeowners’ enemy, MOLD will start to grow within 48 to 72 hours. Get fans going as soon as possible. Carpets, pads and furniture that were soaked should be tossed, and if drywall has gotten wet it should be cut out and gotten rid of as well.

The methods used most often for drying out a wet house are using a fan, and/or a dehumidifier. The most basic is to get air circulating quickly through by using fans. Another method that is effective is to use dehumidifiers.

Dehumidifiers are great to remove moisture from the air. These are also very effective in removing moisture from wood floors, or if the framing in the walls has been saturated. A dehumidifier works best in a closed room, so close the windows and crank it on high!! The collection drawer can fill up fast, so empty it often or attach a hose directly from the attachment on the unit to a sump pit or other place the water can drain; if the windows are open you will just be pulling in moisture from the outside.  If only using fans, then the windows and doors can remain open. A dehumidifier in a closed room can reduce the relative humidity to a low of 20 percent. When the air is that dry, it will certainly wick moisture out of the walls and floors.

if a house is not dried out quickly enough and mold begins to grow, take steps immediately to eliminate it. You need to physically remove the mold by scrubbing it off, use a strong detergent, and a little bleach wouldn’t hurt, and make sure to wear gloves and an N95 respirator mask.  These will filter out 95 percent of the mold spores and similar-size particles. Mold can be very dangerous when inhaled into the lungs.

If you have a situation in which water seeps into your home through basement windows, under doors or through cracks in times of heavy rains, FloodSax may be the answer to those problems. FloodSax are the new, lightweight, compact, clean. These sandless sandbags go from 1 lb in weight to 45 lbs. in 5 minutes just by absorbing water.  Once energized, FloodSax can also be placed to mitigate and redirect flood water.  FloodSax are 100% biodegradable and will last for years until you need them.

Myth No. 1:  All I have to do is call 911.

The 911 team responds quickly and efficiently no doubt, but in disaster scenarios of a wider magnitude, they can only do so much. Personal security and safety begins at home just like charity does, so it is a wise idea to put together an emergency plan for your household.  In large scale disaster situations, you will most likely be on your own for a few days, so it is best to be prepared. Remember always that your family’s safety primarily rests on your shoulders.

Myth No. 2:  No disaster of that sort will ever happen here.

True enough, some areas are more prone to specific types of disasters. But the world and the environment are changing and we’ve seen disasters take place in locations we never expected them to happen.  Terror attacks or widespread riots, for example, can happen anywhere. The climate is changing and disasters are happening where they never had occurred before.  Likewise, for those who travel a lot, it is always important to be prepared as you might become involved in an emergency or a crisis situation in the places that you visit.

Myth No. 3: If disaster preparedness was that important, they should have taught it in school.

Well some schools are starting to now.  We just have to accept the fact that schools have a specific academic curriculum and its main role is to get us prepared for our careers.  There are certain aspects of life that are not taught extensively in school because the home is a more conducive environment for such. Disaster preparedness is just one of these. So it must be the responsibility of every head of the family to teach emergency preparedness to members of his household.

Myth No. 4: When a WMD  strikes, we’ll all be dead anyway!

Terror strikes and Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) attacks can definitely be widespread and may kill large numbers of people, but they won’t wipe out the human race. It doesn’t say “Total Destruction”, just “Mass Destruction”. And for one to cause widespread devastation, an attack should be carried out under ideal conditions with sharp-edged expertise and precision. That doesn’t mean that the threat of WMDs should be ignored; instead we should get ourselves equipped with things we will need  such as gas masks, gas mask kits and Potassium Iodide for a nuclear radiation event.

Myth No. 5: Emergency preparedness is too costly and complicated.

That is very far from the truth. There are many locations that provide basic training or give an overview of the subject for free or at very minimal costs. Disaster preparedness education and knowledge is key. You can learn to put together your own emergency survival kit here at the Survival Gear Source, all items are available separately or you can pick up an already assembled kit . There are  emergency kits for almost any situation and the cost isn’t much if you weigh it against your chances of getting through a disaster by having these on hand.

Myth No. 6: Okay, so I have a 72-hr kit, so I’m good to go right?

Not just yet.  Yes, a 72-hour survival kit will get you through the initial critical hours of a disaster aftermath, but we’ve seen devastation carrying on  for weeks or even months.  So it is more advisable to prepare and be self-sufficient for the consequences of a disaster for a minimum of two weeks. Most of all, apart from getting yourself all geared up, it is imperative that you have a comprehensive emergency plan for your entire family and conduct drills or rehearsals occasionally.

Transcending all these myths about disaster readiness will hopefully  help you and your family manage better during emergency situations. People need to pay attention and be aware of the strength of nature’s wrath.  No one ever knows when disaster will strike.

A rebate will be offered to any resident in the region if they source specially designed “inflatable” sandless bags in readiness for the summer storm season.

Mackay Regional Council today endorsed a rebate system to encourage residents to be better prepared and reduce demand on council and SES resources.

Mayor Col Meng said the rebate was a simple, effective way to ensure residents were cyclone or flood ready.

“This is a proactive approach that reduces the risk of residents needing to line up to get sandbags during inclement weather,” he said.

Council will offer $5 per bag on the initial purchase of these sandless environmentally friendly “inflatable” bags – a maximum rebate of $25 (five sandbags) is applicable.

Once residents have purchased the bags, proof of receipt is required together with evidence of residency within the Mackay Regional Council area, either by sending the completed form to council or by visiting a council customer service center.

It is anticipated that these forms will be available from November 1 on council’s website.

A refund check will then be sent to eligible applications. Only one rebate to a maximum of $25 will be available to each residence

Cr Meng said the new light-weight “inflatable” flood defense bag will be available at most hardware stores shortly.

“They are much more effective than traditional sandbags,” he said.

The new products expand into a usable sandbag by adding water and are about 10 kilograms lighter than a traditional sandbag. They can be easily stored and made ready for us in minutes.

Cr Meng said council and SES resources were often tied up filling and distributing sandbags to the community at the most critical time of a flood or cyclone event.

“If the community had a handy supply at home, these critical resources could be deployed to better deal with flooding issues across the region,” he said.

Case in point, Hurricane Katrina that devastated New Orleans Louisiana, the Tsunami that left thousands dead in India, Thailand, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka and 2004’s earthquake that hit northern Sumatra with an astonishing death toll of 300,000 (minimum).

Reading that last paragraph probably gave you goose bumps. No? Well then, you’re a lot braver than I! The natural disasters that result from Mother Nature’s wrath are in a league all their own…some provoking us mercilessly, others taunting us…and all of them leaving behind their footprints.

Although we can’t prevent natural disasters from occurring, we can prepare ourselves, our homes and our families to safely handle them when they strike. Here are a few things you can do to begin preparation:

1- Research your area/town/city/state to see if it’s vulnerable to specific disasters
2- Sit down with your family and devise a Plan of Emergency
3- Utilize your resources like informative sites such as www.survivalgearsource.com which include articles, checklists and an array of emergency supplies such as 72 hr. survival kits, search & rescue tools and emergency food and water.

Typhoon Megi  almost wiped out a whole coastal town where waves were said to be bigger than the houses, and local officials are considering relocating the whole town itself in the aftermath of the disaster. Other nearby towns sustained 50 to 80 percent damage, not even sparing school buildings that were supposed to be used as evacuation centers.

A large portion of this main area, which is also home to the nation’s capital, is without power and communications facilities. The scene was more like a clip from a dinosaur movie with major power towers crumpling down to the ground. Approximately 100,000 hectares (close to 250,000 acres) of rice and corn lands were destroyed in one of the nation’s largest farming regions. There were floods and landslides left and right, which is not surprising for a mega-howler that was packing winds of more than 175 kph at its center and occasional gusts reaching more than 210 kph.

Sounds like the apocalypse, but there just have been 19 reported deaths as of this writing. Weather-beaten for about a third of the year, the northern region of the Philippines is so used to heavy monsoon rains and typhoons, seeing devastation come and go year in and year out. Lessons from past typhoons have taught residents to always be prepared with well stocked survival gear. Their contingencies  have kept local government agencies on their toes throughout the entire typhoon season.

The wrath of Typhoon Ondoy (international code name: Ketsana) which hit the nation’s capital just a little over a year ago and caused the worst flood in more than 50 years was still fresh in everybody’s mind. Consequently, there was much hype over super-typhoon Megi, which was actually good. Those who had access to real-time communication were provided with hourly updates on the storm track, and the surfeit of information about Megi was welcome. A few hours before Megi was to hit land, residents along its direct path had already been evacuated, with a significant number by force. Instead of casualties normally figuring in the hundreds or probably nearing a thousand, the number is remarkably a lot less.

A full report of the extent of damage is not yet available, but everyone knows it is going to be massive. Several villages and towns remain completely isolated and only reachable by helicopters or small boats. But in terms of preparedness, the entire nation has gone a long way from the olden days of panic and chaos. While a few still choose to challenge nature’s elements, most of the population has learned the value of survival gear and disaster preparedness.

A collective focus on disaster preparedness remarkably shows the sense of urgency for civil defense agencies and the rest of the populace to collaborate their efforts prior to, and during every disaster situation. By providing reliable and frequent updates on weather developments, effective civil defense measures can be put in place to prevent loss of lives and property.

But the bigger challenge remains not just in the period following a disaster when relief and rescue operations are in high gear. It all goes beyond that when the flood waters have receded, power has been restored and roadways have been cleared.
Probably a super-typhoon like Megi will not come in another 5 years, and we may let our guards down once again. But the fact is, the nation lies within the western Pacific typhoon belt and is swept by up to 20 tropical cyclones each year.
Even with that, structures continue to be built along open spaces that could have provided breathing areas to a crowded metropolis in the nation’s main hub, while poor settlers build makeshift shelters along riverbanks and waterways that function as natural flood catchments.

Disaster preparedness is not just about being ready with survival gear and emergency measures and contingencies when disaster strikes. It is about working parallel to and not against the inherent characteristics of nature and its occasional wrath.

Karina M. Jugo
October 21, 2010

Three major regions make up this country of over 7,100 islands – Luzon Island in the north (which hosts the nation’s capital Manila), the Visayan Islands in the mid-section, and Mindanao down south.  Both Luzon and the Visayas are prone to these severe weather disturbances. Luzon gets much of the brunt from June to mid October, while the Visayas gets the impact with changes in wind pattern during the months of November and December.  Mindanao rarely experiences storms or typhoons.

In October, the strongest typhoon in the world for 2010 barreled straight toward the northern part of Luzon Island, packing more than 175 kph of center winds, with gusts occasionally reaching 210 to 260 kph. Typical of a mega-typhoon, Juan (international code name: Megi) left widespread damage but with remarkably minimal loss of lives.

History and past experience has taught the Filipino people to know and respect nature’s wrath. While technological advancement has helped us track typhoons and other weather disturbances in real time, people in this nation know that storms can suddenly change courses, make a temporary stopover, or even do a U-turn.  We’ve had several storms behaving this way and our people have acknowledged than no amount of human expertise or cutting edge technology can challenge or alter this.

We were fortunate that while Megi was quite powerful, it stuck to its storyboard and followed every line of the script. So disaster preparation efforts, which include preparing of survival gear went on according to the plan and residents along its direct path were evacuated way before it hit land. The whole nation knew damage would be extensive, but Filipinos are known to be resilient and value life over anything else.

Gone are the days when a small TV set or a carabao (water buffalo) could have been the cause of someone getting swept away by floodwater because he just had to go back to save the family’s most prized possession. People now know that livelihood and businesses can be rebuilt but lives lost can never be restored.

So now it seems that both government and the citizenry have finally learned about what typhoons and other natural calamities had been trying to teach us over the years. We all need to have a healthy respect for the destructive power of nature.  And we just have to build our world and live our lives with this thought constantly in our minds.

Decades of experience with all sorts of storms and typhoons in varying sizes, strengths and demeanor are instrumental to the formation of this elemental factor in disasters and emergency preparedness efforts.  We are all hoping that this follows through and results to the institutionalization of standardized response systems to all sorts of disasters.  Hopefully we can replicate the efforts for lesser storms and depart from the attitude of taking it one disaster at a time. The government can only do so much for us, we need to be proactive in preparing the correct survival gear for ourselves and our families.

Karina M. Jugo (October 21, 2010) From the Philippines

Hurricane Katrina held so many heart-breaking stories about residents having to abandon their pets at the height of the disaster. While the majority of American families may never experience a major calamity such as a hurricane or an earthquake, disaster can strike anytime, anywhere. There has been growing awareness on the importance of disaster management and emergency preparedness among American homes nowadays, but pet safety during a calamity is often left out.

It’s a good thing that Congress passed the Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act in 2006 after noting the inadequacies demonstrated on pet rescue and safety during Hurricane Katrina. The act was first tested when Hurricane Gustav struck in 2008, and the initial leg of the program worked quite well.

Pet crates were made available at evacuation centers and other pick up points, and owners and their animals were banded with matching codes. They were brought to the same evacuation centers, drastically cutting instances of pets getting separated from their owners.

Although animals have natural instincts for survival, domesticated pets will rely on their owners to keep them safe during a disaster. It is advantageous to have an evacuation plan in place and emergency supplies ready to make it all easier for you, your family and your pets in case you have to abandon your home during an emergency situation.

First, make sure your pet has proper identification at all times, not only when disaster strikes. The most effective way to do this is through a microchip implant such as a dogtracker, by which you can get information on the whereabouts of your pet through satellite service. Otherwise, update identification information on collar tags or leg bands usually used on most pets. This will all come in handy when disasters cause pets to be separated from their owners.

Put together an emergency pet packet or bag containing pertinent records and supplies your pet will need in a disaster situation. Photocopies of pet data and description plus a current photo are highly essential. Keep these in a waterproof plastic bag together with some medications your pet might be on. Have a 3-day supply of pet food and bottled water, handy food and water bowls, a pet first aid kit, extra harness or collars and leashes, and a disposable litter box, especially if you have pet cats. Keep the emergency pet bag in an accessible area of the home, preferably near your main entrance door.
Keep a proper-sized pet carrier nearby so it will be easier and safer to transport them during emergency situations. Make sure to label this with your name and your pet’s name and type or breed.

Next, draft an emergency plan for different scenarios. Some disaster situations may not enable you to carry your pet around, so identify a place that accepts pets, such as a hotel or motel, or look around for pet hotels or animal shelters where you can book them when the situation calls for such.

As much as possible, bring your pets along when you need to evacuate. They’re less likely to get hurt or lost when they’re with you. And to prepare for a worst-case scenario when you have to leave them behind, place a sticker on your front door identifying the presence of pets that reside in your home. This will alert rescue personnel that there are pets needing to be rescued in your home.

Above all, keep your pets healthy at all times. This will increase their chances of survival in the event disaster strikes.