Before a Flood

Before a Flood

Before a flood, there are many things you can do to prepare your family and home.  Floods can happen with little or no warning.  The more you do in advance, the quicker you can escape harm and reduce property damage.

Prepare Your Family
Prepare Your Home

Boulder County Flood Protection Handbook (pdf)

BE READY

Have a plan ready:

• Have a plan for where your family will meet in an emergency and make sure children know where to go when they're at school or away from home.
  •  Flood Plan - Print out this form and post it in a noticeable place in your home
  •  Plan de Accion en Inundacion
• Know what the city's emergency sirens sound like and where to go for information when you hear one.

Prepare an emergency kit:

Keep an emergency kit accessible.  Include things like:

• A battery-powered radio and extra batteries.  Be sure to check your batteries regularly.
• Flashlights
• Rubber boots and gloves
• First aid supplies and any medicines needed by family members
• Water stored in tightly sealed containers
• Food that requires little cooking and no refrigeration

Prepare your home:

• Flood proof the building with flood-resistant materials
• Install backflow prevention valves in sewer lines to prevent sewer backups.
• Construct barriers between flooding and the building with concrete walls and earth fill.

Educate Children

Things to tell your children to prepare them for a flood:

• Don't play in ditches or ravines.
• Don't walk, swim or play in floodwaters.
• If you come to flood waters, turn around and go the other way.
• Stay away from flooded creek banks.  The soggy bank can collapse at any time.
• Watch out for snakes and rodents flushed out of their homes by a flood.
• Make sure children know where to go if a flood happens when they are at school or otherwise away from home.
• Explore the Federal Emergency Management Agency's site for kids with your children.

Be aware of your surroundings

Unfortunately, no one knows exactly when it will flood.  The city monitors information from the National Weather Serviceand the Henz Meteorological Service for conditions that indicate that flooding could occur.  What you can do is:

• Be alert during severe thunderstorms, especially during the spring run-off.  Flash flooding can occur within minutes.
• Monitor the City of Boulder emergency line at 303-441-4300 for flood updates.
• If you hear an outdoor warning siren, tune to KBOL 1490 AM, KOA 850 AM, or local cable Channel 8 for more information.  Be ready to evacuate low-lying areas.

Know where to get information

• Visit the Colorado Office of Emergency Management and download the Family Preparedness Guide (pdf) for more information on floods and other hazards.
• Call the city emergency information line at 303-441-4300.
• Check out flood insurance information available from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) through the National Flood Insurance Program.
• Tap into the National Weather Service online.

Prepare Your Home

Get flood insurance

A house in the 100-year floodplain has a 26 percent chance of being flooded over a 30-year mortgage.  That's more than five times the chance that the house will catch fire in the same period!  Most standard homeowner's policies do not cover floods.  Does yours?

The City of Boulder is taking action to reduce flood insurance premiums.  As of 1997, City of Boulder residents may receive up to a 10 percent premium discount on flood insurance.

More information on buying flood insurance, costs and coverage is available through the National Flood Insurance Program.

Visit the FEMA home preparation site for tips on how to reduce loss in a flood, including:

• Find out if your house is located on a floodplain, making it vulnerable to flooding.  Call 303-441-1880 or use our online floodplain map.
• Store valuables and important documents on an upper floor in watertight containers.
• Install backflow valves.
• Download the Boulder County Flood Protection Handbook (pdf)

Keep It Clean

Every piece of trash and debris may contribute to flooding. Grass clippings and branches can accumulate and block creeks and culverts. If you control property crossed by a creek, you are responsible for maintaining the channel as set forth under Section 11-5-15, Boulder Revised Code 1981. If you see dumping or debris in ditches or streams, contact the Public Works Department at 303-441-3266.

Last Updated on Monday, 06 April 2009 06:01