The Importance of Flood Preparedness in North America
Flooding season is no joke. This year, a weather pattern could lead to more rain and snowfall than usual in the north of North America. It’s called La Niña. This weather pattern isn’t new and it can cause more cold and wet winters in the northern United States. This is the year to get your flood preparedness plan together. Especially if you’re in a flood plain or expecting wet winter weather. Pack essentials like survival food kits ready to go. Make a digital backup of your important documents. Discuss your flood insurance policy. This guide is a start to helping you understand the risks of floods and how you can be best prepared.
General Flood Safety
You might have to evacuate your home or shelter in place. Keep a radio
on hand, as well as your mobile phone, to make sure you stay informed of
weather alerts coming your way. Always keep extra batteries, chargers
on hand. A solar powered charger can work wonders. This will help you
keep up with weather alert notifications.
Watch the depth of
water before you go into it. It takes only 6 inches of moving water to
sweep a person off their feet. And it only takes a foot of moving water
to wash away a whole car. Don’t risk walking or driving through moving
water. It’s always safer to turn around and find another way.
Keep emergency food kits in your home, your car, and your pre-packed
go-bags. When it comes to emergencies, you never know when you’ll have
to stay in or evacuate in a hurry. Trying to source food at the last
minute is difficult. Keep a supply of emergency food bars and non-perishables in an easy-to-access location. Your whole family will thank you later.
Proper Planning Can Protect Personal Information
The adage of preventing poor performance with a little preparation
couldn’t be truer. A flood is a bad time to scramble for important
documents or personal information. You need your photo ID and your
vaccination records. You'll also need your bank account and insurance
policy numbers. Make sure that you keep all your important documents
(yes, even your tax records!) in a fireproof lockbox or safe.
Get a digital record of your important documents too. You can do this by
taking photos with your mobile phone. Make sure you also upload these
photos to a cloud storage platform. This ensures you always have a copy
of your important documents even if you lose or damage your phone. A
cloud storage option is also great for precious family photos. Flooding
in your home could mean losing the originals.
Be Prepared at Home or on the Go
If you live in a flood plain, make sure you have flood insurance. Don’t
be afraid to contact your home insurance agent about it if you have
questions. Flood insurance may be sold separately or in varying tiers of
protection. Call your agent to discuss all your options as well as your
risk based on your home’s location.
You can also focus on
landscaping your yard to help mitigate some rain and snowfall damage.
Think about how you can best encourage water to drain away from your
house. There are even some decorative approaches to this. You can
incorporate dry creek beds or rain gardens that look great year-round.
These can help move rainfall and water away from your home. Retaining
walls are a useful way of diverting water away from your home’s
foundation.
In the case of an evacuation, packing at the last
minute is a risky choice. It can often lead to forgetting important
items. Prepare non-perishable foods, plenty of water, extra clothes, and
waterproof blankets. Also pack a first aid kit, emergency flares,
flashlights, and personal hygiene items. Pack everything in advance and
keep it ready. In the best-case scenarios, you’ll have all this
pre-packed and ready to go for the entire season. This can help you
avoid the last-minute scramble.
About 4Patriots
4Patriots
is a classic American success story. Co-founders Allen and Erin Baler
created 4Patriots together in Nashville, Tennessee. They built the
business to give regular people real answers for real problems.
4Patriots now has more 170 employees. They make a variety of survival
food, emergency food kits,
emergency food bars, and so much more. 4Patriots products are perfect
for emergencies or your next camping or fishing trip. Check out their
solar flashlights, solar cell phone charger packs, and more. 4Patriots
is there for you when you need them.
Prepare for flood season with 4Patriots at https://4patriots.com/