Flood Preparation: How to Use Flood Maps and Prepare

April 11, 2010

Historic rainfall and flooding in the Northeast this year has reminded us that, despite the danger of earthquakes, hurricanes, and other natural disasters, floods are the most common and widespread threat in the United States.  Flooding can happen anywhere, but of course it’s much more likely to occur near bodies of water like rivers, lakes and streams.

FEMA-flood-map-searchThe most common question for anyone concerned about flooding is usually: Do I live in a flood-prone area?  Fortunately, FEMA has made this research quite simple.  FEMA’s Map Service Center provides detailed flood maps of neighborhoods all over the U.S.

How to find your flood map:

  1. Simply go to http://msc.fema.gov
  2. At the top left of the home page, enter your address (see screenshot to the right)
  3. Although it may be a little slow to load, a detailed map will appear in a new window.  The buttons on the left allow you to zoom in and out and pan across the map down to your specific street address. (see example map below)

flood-map-tool-FEMA

Flood Preparation

Whether or not you live in a designated flood area, understanding how to prepare for a flood is wise and simple.  Consider these three important steps:

  1. Protect Your Possessions
    Create a flood file with information about all of your possessions and place it in a secure place like a safe deposit box or waterproof container.
    The file should include:

    • Copies of insurance policies with your agent’s info.
    • A full inventory of your possessions, including video, photos, and receipts.
    • Copies of all other critical documents.
  2. Prepare Your Dwelling
    • Ensure your sump pump is working and don’t forget a battery-operated backup.
    • Clear debris from drainage spouts and gutters.
    • Raise electrical components (switches, sockets and circuit breakers) at least one foot above your projected flood elevation.
    • Place the washer, dryer, furnace, and water heater on blocks at least one foot above the projected flood elevation.
    • Move all valuables and important documents to high ground.
  3. Create a Family Emergency Plan
    • Buy or create an emergency kit with drinking water, food, first aid, blanket, radio, and flashlight.
    • Plan and practice a flood evacuation route with your family.
    • Designate an out-of-state family member or friend to be your emergency family contact.
    • Don’t forget a plan for your pets.

(Compiled from FloodSmart.gov)

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Worst Natural Disasters in the World: Relative to the Population

March 8, 2010

In the last 40 years, the Haiti earthquake has been the deadliest and most destructive natural disaster, when measured by the amount of deaths per inhabitants.   The following chart ranks these disasters by the “deaths per million inhabitants” column.

deadliest-natural-disasters-earthquake-cyclone-tsunami

This is an interesting way to look at the damage caused by these disasters, as it highlights the overall percentage of deaths in each country.  In the case of Haiti, approximately 2% of the population was killed.   That’s a staggering number.  Surely, every Haitian knew at least one person who lost their life in this tragedy.

Another takeaway is that it’s almost split evenly between earthquakes/tsunamis (a byproduct of earthquakes) and cyclones.

This article on 5 Probable Natural Disasters to Strike the United States contains some interesting predictions for the U.S.  It’s founded in scientific data, but at the end of the day, it’s only an educated guess.  Of course, we can never accurately predict any natural disaster.  But we can be prepared for them.


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    2010 World Earthquakes Relative to the San Andreas Fault in California

    February 27, 2010

    haiti-japan-chile-earthquake-magnitude

    As everyone knows by now, Chile was rocked with an enormous 8.8 earthquake early this morning.  This came just one day after a 7.0 in Japan and a little over a month from the devastating 7.0 in Haiti.

    The reality is, strong earthquakes occur around the world everyday.  In fact, around 50 earthquakes above magnitude 6.5 are recorded somewhere in the world each year.  This real-time earthquake magnitude tracking tool from the USGS, shows all the earthquakes that exceeded magnitude 5.0 in the last week.  At the time of writing, over 80 earthquakes were on the list!  The majority of them in the Chile region.

    earthquake-fault-typesIt is estimated that a magnitude 7.0 earthquake is equivalent to about half a million tons of high explosives. With each increase of 1.0 in the magnitude scale, it equates to 32 times more energy!  That means the earthquake in Chile was approximately 800 times stronger than the ones that hit Haiti and Japan!

    So how can that be?  How can an earthquake of the same magnitude in Japan and Haiti result in virtually no deaths and over 230,000 deaths respectively?  Further, how can an earthquake approximately 800 times stronger result in less than 1,000 deaths?  It depends on many factors including:

    1. density of the population
    2. infrastructure and economic status of the region
    3. education of the people
    4. financial resources available in the aftermath
    5. the type of earthquake (see chart on right)

    Southern California Earthquake Simulation

    As an example of this, Southern California is an extremely dense area of the United States.  It also lies on a massive fault line known as the San Andreas Fault.  Experts predict that a 7.8 magnitude quake would result in approximately 1,800 deaths.  A stark contrast from Haiti.  But they also estimate over 255,000 would be homeless and the economic result would be a devastating 213 billion in damages.

    Relative to the density of the population, the predicted death toll is very low compared to Haiti. This is due primarily to strict building code laws that require “earthquake-proof” construction. You could also argue that the education of the people (like school drills and public awareness) and the financial resources would have a large positive impact as well.

    This video is an amazing artistic depiction of such an earthquake on the San Andreas Fault:

    Be prepared.  Consider an earthquake survival kit for you and your loved ones.

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    Simple Food and Water Storage for a Snow Storm, Power Outage or Natural Disaster

    February 17, 2010

    “It doesn’t take a large catastrophic disaster for anyone of us to find ourselves in a situation where we are stuck in our home, maybe for a period of days, without food or water available to us other than what we have there.”  It’s a wise warning from the American Red Cross.  This video from the CDC is short, sweet and informative:

    “Stockpile things you like and normally buy, just buy a little more of them.  Stockpile foods that are non-perishable and don’t require refrigeration or cooking.”  It’s really common sense.  Store a little extra food and water in a pantry, garage or extra closet.

    When an emergency strikes and the power goes out and stays out:

    1. Eat the food in your refrigerator first, since this will go bad the soonest.
    2. Then, eat the food in your freezer.  As long as you keep the door closed, it should last a few days (maybe longer depending on the climate).
    3. Finally, eat your stockpiled food of canned goods and non-perishable items.

    They are simple suggestions, but so simple to overlook.
    Survival Simon Says: Simply Prepare!

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    Survival Away From Home: Your Office Building (or Place of Work)

    February 9, 2010

    While the responsibility should rest on your employer to take care of you in the aftermath of an emergency, most are unprepared or have miscalculated the needs.  In other words,  don’t count on it.

    So if you agree it’s a good idea to be prepared at work, where do you start?

    1. Start first by understanding what your employer has planned.   Ask the “man” for his plan.  Some businesses are required by law (OSHA) to have an emergency action plan.  This usually includes an evacuation plan, designated meeting places and  safe areas, communication procedures, and more.
    2. Next, find out what emergency supplies are readily available.  Hit up HR or your boss with questions like:
      - Do we have an emergency office kit? Where?
      - How much water and food do we have in case of an emergency?
      - How often is it replenished or reviewed?
    3. Finally, take matters into your own hands.  Even if you’re employer appears to be prepared, consider having your own plan and supplies. If you’re one of approximately 80% of Americans who drive to work, ensure you have a car survival kit (like we covered in this post about survival in your car).  This is quite appropriate if  you’re job requires heavy driving.  But even if you’re cooped up in a cubicle all day, your car will be within walking distance after a disaster.
    work-office-survival-kit

    Office Survival Kit Example

    Most of us spend 30-40%  of our “awake” time each week at work.  We labor nearly 1/3 of our lives.  So next time you’re taking a break at the water cooler, give this topic a little more thought.  It just might save your life.

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