When torrential rains or waterways cause flooding in areas where people live, it can be overwhelming to deal with to say the least. If they are fortunate enough to have had adequate warning, they hopefully were able to evacuate their homes before the water came, but so often this is not the case. Sometimes when nearby creeks or rivers overflow, there is not enough warning and people can easily become trapped in their homes even if the water is only a foot or two deep.
Sometimes it might not be possible for help to reach people trapped in a home that has been flooded as quickly as they would like and they might try to set out on their own in order to reach some place dry sooner. If you are young enough and able bodied this might be possible, but it also might be safer to just remain where you are until help arrives. If a person has a raft or other small boat and it is possible to travel through the water that way, it could be a safe way out providing the risk of more flooding and rainfall is over. We have all seen pictures of people dong exactly that with a raft or boat they could paddle with.
There are also people who try to brave walking through the water if it is waist high or less. This can really be a bad mistake unless you have absolutely no choice and can not wait for rescuers. There is no telling what might be in the flood water for one and you could easily get seriously hurt for two. There are usually all kinds of debris that will be floating in and under the water that you will not want to come into contact with such as raw sewage, broken glass, and in the case of Floridians who just experienced tropical storm Fay, snakes and even alligators.
The safest thing to do if you have water, food, and a place dry enough on an upper level of the home or even the roof if it safe enough to get up there, is to simply wait for rescuers. If you have a cell phone to make contact with, do it so someone knows you are there. If you do not have a phone, make a sign or white flag to hang out, anything to bring attention to yourself. You are probably going to be much safer if you just stay put, at least for a while and see if help comes.
Rachel Yoshida is a writer of many topics, visit some of her sites, like
Water Damage Restoration and
Houston Water Damage Restoration.
