Flooding is one of the major natural disasters, which is characterized by the increase of river, lakes, or sea level and is usually a consequence of heavy rains, snow melting, ice melting, water reservoir collapse, etc. Floods may last from several hours to two-three weeks and may cause countless damage to both buildings and the population.

In case you are living in an area where flooding happens pretty often, it is of utmost importance to determine beforehand the location of your building, safe passages and places to escape if flooding. Besides, you should note that disasters, in general, happen too fast and as it is really hard to manage anything in a fuss, we highly encourage you to prepare special suitcases or rucksacks that you can take with you when leaving while flooding.

Top 10 items needed during flooding

Water

Drinkable water is perhaps the most important thing during the emergency situations not only as a means to satisfy your thirst but also for hygienic purposes. Moreover, in case of some illnesses, such as diabetes it is even more important, as water may prevent dehydration. Consequently, the maintenance of drinkable water reservoir can be vital. Drinkable water may be stored for an emergency situation in plastic bottles or plastic barrels.

You can keep it in the dark at room temperature or in the refrigerator. Due to the chlorination of the water in the water plants, the water would not be spoiled for at least 6 months. You should store water for at least a week.

Water filter

As you do not know if you would be able to transfer the stored water during an evacuation and more importantly, whether it would be enough we suggest including a water filter. You can also store water purifying tablets to clean and disinfect the water to be able and use it, and avoid health problems. Such filters and tablets will enable you, to utilize water from rivers or lakes.

Food

Food is the next necessity while flooding. In the cold and stressful situation, food becomes the source for you to regain energy and raise your mood. You can store canned and packaged food that will be enough for you for 3 to 7 days. You should stockpile food that does not require extended cooking and can be stored long-term. MREs are ideal for short-term disaster scenarios and can last for a few years without problems. Ideally, the food should be easy to digest and provide a high-calorie intake.

First aid kit

A first-aid kit is another essential item. The first aid kit should also include different medications to meet different challenges. The minimum list that should be relevant in the medicine kit for the first aid in critical situations include:

• bandages
• antibacterial cream
• antiseptic/disinfectant wipes
• tweezers
• a roll of medical tape,
• gauze that can help you to treat certain injuries
• activated charcoal
• different  painkillers
• antipyretic tablets (aspirin, Nurofen, analgin, etc.),
• antiallergic agent of general action.

This is the bare minimum for any improvised first aid kit. Here is an article teaching you how to make a complete first aid kit:

Step by step guide to make a first aid kit

Documents

Documents have an important role in our lives and their loss in case of an emergency can complicate things and make the situation much worse. It is important to have all your important documentation safely stored in a water-tight container. Your passport, driver’s license, certificate of registration of your vehicle or weapons permits, different contracts and certificates should be ready to take with you when disaster strikes.

Accessing them must be as simple as possible so that you can pick whatever you need at the right moment without wasting precious time. You should also store the copies of all the important documents on a survival USB drive to be on the safe side in case the original documents get lost or damaged.

Basic hygiene products

As a part of your emergency kit, you should also have some basic hygiene products. Soap, toothbrushes and toothpastes, dry napkins, toilet paper, sanitary napkins, wet towels are a must. Of course, these items may not be as vital as the previous ones but they are still needed. Having them will make your life much easier.

Flashlights

Lack of light in an emergency situation can be a serious problem. Therefore, it is better to buy several flashlights in advance and store them for emergency situations. Meanwhile, make sure to buy extra batteries as well.

Waterproof and hand-cranked models make the ideal choice for a flooding scenario. The first ones would not let you down even if you suddenly drop them in the water, while the second ones free you of the need to stock and carry extra batteries.

Matches or other fire starters

There is no need to describe how useful matches can become in an emergency situation both as a source of light and heat. The need of a good firestarter  cannot even be questioned, regardless the disaster scenario you are preparing for. You must make sure to keep your matches in a waterproof container or else they would be useless. The firestarter should be kept on you at all times, and it’s one of the basics items you can use for multiple purposes.

Related reading: How To Survive the Rising Waters of a Flood

Radio and whistles.

It might seem odd to see these two items listed here, but you will need both of them if you want to keep in touch with the outer world. The radio may become your primary source of information, as cell phones networks and cables may be down as a result of the disaster, while radio stations will continue to deliver information. Choose a Solar Crank NOAA Weather radio so that you can benefit from all its feature while carrying it with you.

Whistles may be irreplaceable in more severe situations when you wait for help to arrive. In such cases, you must make sure that you will be able to make rescuers find you as easy as possible. Whistles would help you due to their piercing sound, which is higher than voice and requires less energy.

Multi-tool and other useful tools

These multifunctional tools combine several functions in one unit. As a result, you can open, cut, saw, turn, bend, and much more with a simple hand movement. Meanwhile, these tools take quite a little space and are handy to take.

Having other useful tools in your disaster kit such as an axe or a hammer will help you greatly during a flood. Store everything you have in a secure location that you can access at any time. People drowned in attics because they didn’t have an axe to make an opening when their house was flooded. Think about making a disaster toolkit and you won’t regret it.

This article was written by Anna Aturyan from Reviews Bee for Prepper’s Will.

Other Useful Resources:

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A Green Beret’s guide to combat and shooting

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