Before a Flood

Flash floods can happen with little or no warning, but preparing in advance can help you avoid harm and reduce property damage.

• Prepare Your Family
• Prepare Your Home

Prepare Your Family

Have a Plan Ready

• Come up with a plan for where your family will meet in an emergency and make sure children know where to go when they are at school or away from home.
  • Flood Action 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.
• Be alert during severe thunderstorms, especially during the spring runoff.

Educate Your Children
Share the following tips with your children to help them stay safe in a flood:

• do not play in ditches or ravines;
• do not walk, swim or play in floodwaters;
• if you see flood waters, turn around and go the other way;
• stay away from flooded creek banks, which may collapse at any time;
• watch out for snakes and rodents flushed out of their homes by a flood; and
• know where to go if a flood happens when you are at school or away from home.

For more tips and information, explore the Federal Emergency Management Agency's website for kids with your children.

Prepare an Emergency Kit
Keep an emergency kit accessible. Include:

• a battery-powered AM radio and extra batteries;
• flashlights;
• rubber boots and gloves;
• first aid supplies and any essential medicines needed for family members;
• water stored in tightly-sealed containers (at least one gallon of water per person, per day); and
• non-perishable food that requires no cooking or refrigeration.

Collect these items and store them in a portable, water-tight container in an easily accessible location. You can find more information about preparing an emergency kit in the Flood Action Plan or at www.ready.gov/build-a-kit.

Prepare Your Home

Purchase Flood Insurance

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

The City of Boulder is taking action to reduce flood insurance premiums. As of 2013, city residents may receive up to a 25 percent discount on flood insurance rates.

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

More Ways to Prepare Your Home

• Find out if your house is located in a floodplain using the online floodplain map.
• Store valuables and important documents on an upper floor in watertight containers.
• Floodproof 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 (floodplain development permits may be required).

Know Where to Access Information During an Emergency

• Sign up for FREE emergency alerts at home, work, and via cellphones, text messaging, email and Twitter at BoCo911Alert.com.
• Check the Boulder Office of Emergency Management website for current information during an emergency event.  Follow OEM on Twitter. 
• If you hear an outdoor warning siren, tune to local media and be ready to evacuate low-lying areas.
• Tap into the National Weather Service online.

Additional Resources

• FEMA - Flood Preparedness Information
• FloodSmart - Before a Flood
• Colorado Office of Emergency Management
• National Flood Insurance Program

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 Friday, 15 March 2013 17:15