Flooding Is One of America’s Deadliest Weather Hazards. These Decisions and Actions Save Lives and Property

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Flooding kills more Americans each year than many storms that get far more headlines. Over a hundred lives are lost annually, and most of those deaths follow the same predictable pattern. The water doesn't surprise us. Our decisions do. Today we're talking about why flooding remains one of the deadliest weather hazards in the United States. Yet most flood deaths and some flood damages are preventable. Yet most flood deaths and some flood damages are preventable if we take the right steps.

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Welcome to practical prepping. Today is June 29, 2026, and this is episode 560. This is the prepping podcast with no bunkers, no zombies, and no alien invasions. Just practical prepping where we teach everyday people how to prepare for life's emergencies, disasters and crises. And we're here to help you get prepared. I'm Krista.

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And I'm Mark. If you'd like the expanded notes for this episode, go to practicalprepping.info 560. We've been seeing a lot of floods in the news lately.

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A lot of floods, Yes.

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I mean they're widespread and you know, we're coming up on the anniversary of the Camp Mystic.

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It was a terrible tragedy.

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Terrible tragedy. I think there were 23 killed in that.

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I believe it was actually 27 total when you count in the counselors.

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But there's so much going on with so many floods. Houses being flooded, cars being flooded. But people are getting killed in some of these floods and that's what we want to stop. A lot of this is preventable. Let's just look at some of the fatality data. Flooding kills approximately 100 to 130 people per year in the United States. On average. The decade from 2015 to 2024 shows an average of 113 deaths per year. Updated reporting cited in 2025 places the 30 year average closer to 127 deaths per year. Flooding remains one of the deadliest weather hazards in our country. The trend in recent years suggests rising risk and increased exposure.

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Did you know that most flood deaths are preventable? And decision making is the central factor in that particular argument. Now, where do the fatalities occur? The noaa, NOAA and the CDC data consistently show that most flood and flash flood deaths are vehicle related. The National Severe Storms Laboratory states that most flash flood fatalities involve vehicles driving in to flooded roadways.

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Now let's look at why these deaths happen. One is underestimating water depth and the speed of the current. It only takes 12 inches of moving water to float a small car.

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Wow.

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18 to 24 inches can carry away most vehicles, right, 6 inches of moving water can knock an adult down, and that's what's happening.

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People underestimate water's power. They see even moving water may not seem very violent and they feel like they can just stroll right across. But if that water is moving, it's stronger than you are and it can take you down and you can't fight it.

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Another cause or another reason why these deaths happen is ignoring barricades and warnings, right? Those roads are blocked for a reason.

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Some people have even been filmed removing the barricade to drive on through the water.

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Yes, they have. And it amazed me how we would have a road blocked for whatever reason. I'm talking patrol car barricades, that kind of thing. And people would come up and say, can I get through?

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What does that barricade tell you? What do you think? Nope, yeah, we're not getting through. So you're not getting through.

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But people ignore those barricades and it

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gets people killed and also delaying the evacuation. There's a window of time, and it may not be a very large window of time, but if you're attuned to the weather reports and the news reports and flood or flash flood is coming your way, you've got to act now. And that's what we talk about with like a bug out bag or a car bag or something where you can jump into your vehicle and travel on a safe roadway in the opposite direction and, and get away from all of

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that threat and have your triggers determined when the water gets to such and such point, I'm out of here. So make those decisions ahead of time. Another thing is underestimating flash floods, especially inland and urban flooding, especially because it

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doesn't usually occur there.

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Yeah, and we'll talk specifically about flash floods in a bit, but there's some simple rules, such as turn around, don't drown, that dramatically increase survival rates when they're followed.

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Now we're going to talk about the things to do before floods. But first let me remind you about the ReadyFam app. Been talking about it for several weeks. You know, emergencies don't wait, and neither should your family plan. The ReadyFam app helps you create a simple, clear emergency plan faster and easier. And it's perfect for busy families like yours who want practical preparedness without the overwhelm. You'll get risk assessments based on your zip code, and you can build customized plans for floods, severe weather, power outages, and a lot more. You can even scan barcodes to track the supplies that you add to or remove from your food storage, the AI assistant takes it even further. It lets you use voice commands to update your supplies. It builds meal plans and recipes from what you already have. And it walks you through realistic scenarios to help you identify gaps in your prepping plan. So if you haven't already, check out the app@readiefem.app or download it from the Play Store. We also have a link at practicalprepping.info and in the episode notes for today's show. There's a free version available, but we highly recommend the AI version that's ReadyFam app and use the discount code practical20. Now let's talk about preparing before the flood takes place.

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First thing, and we've talked about this in so many things, is that risk awareness?

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Right.

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You do that risk assessment. Do you live in a floodplain? Do you live near a creek or a river?

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Oh, good call.

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The creeks and rivers around here are out of the banks right now. There's some flooded areas here.

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Right.

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Do you live below a dam that could possibly break?

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Good call.

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Understand also that many flash flood victims are outside traditional flood zones.

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That can happen. We were talking about that just a moment ago, that there can be areas where people live that are not accustomed to any kind of flood water. And then guess what happens. Floodwater.

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Or you have one of those thousand year floods.

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Exactly. And hurricanes can create storm surge, which can. That's usually what's the most fatal part of a hurricane is the aftermath of flood.

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Now there are some things that we can do in addition to risk awareness. We can sign up for local weather alerts, some type of an alert system.

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Right.

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And also understand what the difference between a watch and a warning is when it comes to floods. There's a difference. One thing you want to do is protect critical documents and valuables. Have a go bag with medications, identifications, chargers, flashlights, sturdy shoes and dry clothing that will come in handy if you have to evacuate very quickly.

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You might need to think about your evacuation plan as well. So identify the higher ground that's near your area and try to avoid the low water crossings because they're going to get flooded first.

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Someone was telling me the other day that we were talking about flooding and evacuating and he said if I wait till I see water, I'm trapped. He said both routes away from his house went through a low lying area that would block him. So he said I have to keep a very close eye on any type of potential flooding.

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So that's good advice for all of us to be able to have that awareness.

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And if you're evacuating, don't rely solely on those navigation apps. Roads can close very quickly, a lot quicker than will get reported on those apps.

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Now let's talk about something else. Let's talk about getting your house ready for a possible flood. You want to create some temporary barriers to help keep some of that water out. Now here's some ideas. You can load up some sandbags and stagger them in rows, tightly packed and sealed at the seams. Or you could consider some commercial water filled flood barriers. It gives you a bit of faster deployment.

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Those things are really neat. It's like a long tube balloon and, and you put it at the base of a door. They make them for garage doors, they make them for walk through doors. And you fill that with water and that water pressure holds against that door and seals the bottom of that door,

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creating a pretty effective barrier.

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It does, it really does help. But you can also use those as door dams or you can use flood panels over all of the entry points. One thing, you can seal the exterior door thresholds with removable weather resistant tape and use plastic sheeting combined with the sandbags to reduce the seepage. So you're making layers of protection to keep the water out.

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Yeah, because water will find a way,

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water will find a way on the

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inside of the house. You're going to want to move any furniture, electronics, any valuables up and off of the basement floors and if possible, elevate some items on concrete blocks or shelving that might be attached to the wall, something that's braced.

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Yeah. This might be a time to pick up your washer and dryer and put those up on concrete blocks or stack

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them on pallets or whatever.

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You need anything to get them up out of the water.

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You're going to want to take some of those irreplaceable items, artwork, photographs, that type of thing to some of the upper or higher floors.

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Also, if you have a gun safe in the basement, you might want to consider taking the contents of that gun safe and moving the contents upstairs to keep the flood waters from going into the safe. They're not waterproof.

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That's true. Right. Another thing you're going to want to do is roll up those basement area rugs because they're going to trap any water that flows into that and that can hold water down into that flooring. And that would be no so good. You're going to want to shut your basement windows. And here's one that I learned. This really surprised me. I hadn't thought about this. If you've got an open dryer vent to a laundry like outside, you're going to want to seal up that dryer vent because water can pour right into there and right into your dryer and destroy it.

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And you may need to seal that from the outside.

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Might be easier to do it that way.

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My mother's dryer vent was about a foot and a half or two feet off of the ground level. So that would have been a concern had water been getting up to there for sure.

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In just a little bit. We're going to talk about what to do during the flood event. But first, today's cup of coffee comes from Diana, who is a longtime supporter of our show. Diana, we really do appreciate your support. It means a lot. And you too can go to practicalprepping.info support where you can show us some love by buying us a few cups of coffee or even buy a coffee membership. It's only $5 a month and it really does help offset the expenses of our show. So please consider doing that@practicalprepping.info support. Now let's get back to the show.

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Here's what to do during the flood first, and Krista mentioned this a minute ago, evacuate immediately. If you are ordered to evacuate, don't wait to see how bad it becomes.

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Yeah, that's a very poor choice.

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That may trap you in the house. Now, some things to do during the flood, inside the house, you move to higher level if the water enters. But don't go into the attic unless you have roof access from inside the attic.

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That's very important.

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There have been people that drown in their attic because they were trapped by floodwaters and also shut off the utilities if it's safe to do so.

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Right.

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Particularly the electricity.

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Now, if you're away from your home, do not, do not, do not drive through those flooded roads. I don't think we can emphasize this enough. Absolutely don't do it. And avoid walking through that flood water. Remember that six inch rule. You can lose your footing and never regain it.

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That. But even if it's somewhat stagnant, there'll be contamination in there and there'll be

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other things in there too, like critters and creatures.

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Can be critters and creatures. And an alligator was found in the road not far from our house the other, other day.

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Right.

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If it'd been some flooded areas, he could have just swam on up here to us.

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You know, I remember those stories from Katrina from 2005 when floodwaters went Right through the French Quarter and right through New Orleans. And into that flood water were toothed fish and all kinds of sea life and ocean creatures and sea snakes and eels and what have you.

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They go where the water goes.

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They're just going with the water. And I don't know where you might be living, my friend, but there may be some creatures in the water you don't want to put your leg into.

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Not only the creatures, but flood waters can mix with the sewage water.

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Yeah, that contamination can. I mean, it's going through all the ground water and the sewer systems. But now think about this. There's also the possibility of downed power lines.

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Yes.

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And I remember science class. Water and electricity, bad combination.

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Do not mix.

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Don't do it. So that can be some electrical hazard. You've got to think very carefully. And that's also why it's important to not be driving through flood water with down power lines and step out of the car, because you may not be in an area that's been deemed safe by the power company yet.

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Here's some flash flood specific planning.

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Okay.

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They have some unique characteristics. One, they develop very rapidly, often within just a few minutes.

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That's why they call them flash.

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Yes. And they may occur without local rainfall.

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That happens out west a lot.

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It does, and I'll tell you a story in just a second. But you have to keep an eye on those upstream areas. We had a group of young people out in Tombstone, Arizona. We'd gone out on a mission trip, and we were staying there in Tombstone. The old mine, the old silver mine was right back behind the house where we were staying.

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Okay.

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The kids wanted to go out there and look for silver because sometimes they can find silver washed down in that old wash. And Tommy, our host, told me, said, it's fine. He said, but you get about 50 yards upstream to where you can see even further upstream. So that if you see water rushing down through there, you yell at those kids. And they are to immediately get out of that wash, because that water, it'll be blue sky here, but it's rain 20 miles away. And the way it comes rushing down through there, it could take one of those kids away and be catastrophic.

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Wow.

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You have to be aware of the upstream area because those heavy rain can send that sudden water downstream and wash you away.

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It's almost like they lifted a gate and it all comes at once instead of just trickling down. And obviously that's happened to people in the past that they were standing in a dry gulch and the next thing they know they're being washed downstream.

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Well, that's why he was explaining it to us, to avoid that.

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Yeah, for sure.

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But we need to know the warning signs of that flash flood. In that kind of a situation, you may hear roaring sounds near those streams.

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Okay.

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Be listening as that water comes roaring down through there.

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Right.

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And you'll see rapidly rising water. Now, it doesn't mean that it will always come down as a wall of water.

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Right? True.

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But it might start with the. It might be a wet water creek anyway. But that water starts rising very quickly. But be aware that sometimes the nighttime visibility is limited. So you really want to pay attention with that, with a good flashlight.

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And think about this. If you're trapped in your vehicle and if the water is rising rapidly and your vehicle stalls, abandon that vehicle immediately and move to higher ground. At this point, you've got to forget about trying to stay in that car because that's not going to be the safe place for you.

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You're not going to drive it out of there.

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No.

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And it may be a death trap.

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That's true. Yeah.

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So you, as soon as that vehicle stalls, get out of that vehicle, even if you have to roll down the window and climb out.

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Yes. Because you may not be able to push the door from the inside, depending on how high the water is. Now let's recap some of the common mistakes that people have made. And we're telling you this again because repetition breeds learning. Right. Underestimating moving water, both stepping into it with your feet or driving into it with your car, two big bad mistakes, that's a bad, bad, bad deal for you. Also, choosing to drive around a barricade or removing a barricade so that you can drive, that is a huge no, no. And also assuming that if you've got a four wheel drive that you're going to be fine and that you're going to be able to plow right on

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through does absolutely no good if it floats and loses traction.

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It can float just as good as a two wheel drive or anything else. Or if you've simply waited too long to evacuate and now you are trapped wherever it is that you are right now. Let's talk about what happens after the flood event.

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Well, the priorities are safety first, end of discussion with that. Do not re enter that house or that area until the authorities declare it safe. They will make sure the power is off, the gas, whatever it makes sure it's safe for you to go back in there. When you go back in, watch for structural damage and pay attention for gas leaks and avoid contact with standing water and electrical systems. Think about this now, if the power is not off and your house is flooded and it hasn't kicked the breakers, the water is in those receptacles.

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And it might even be receptacles like multiplugs that may be lying on the floor.

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Exactly.

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And those obviously that are on the wall. So you've got to, you've got to remember that electricity and water, they're doing their thing. So definitely shut that power off and that gas if it's safe to do so. And again, don't enter after a flood until the authorities have deemed it safe.

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Right. And document all of the damage that you have before any cleanup begins. You want to get that documented, photographs, video, whatever you can do. Take your phone and make a video of the damage inside your house.

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How high the water got, how high

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the water got, such as that, before you begin any cleanup efforts. But you want to remove the standing water. You've got to get the water out. Now that may take a squeegee. You may have to just wait for the water to recede. I mean, if it's still flowing in.

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But there's also possibility that you could use a submersible pump. They actually sell those at pet stores. And I know this because I used to sell them at my pet store. Yep.

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But remove that standing water and then dry everything as soon as possible to prevent mold. See that mold can begin forming within 24 to 48 hours. All the carpets have to come up non negotiable. Has to go down to the wood or the subfloor or whatever's there. You have to cut the drywall to about 12 inches above the water line. All of that has to dry out and that wood must be treated. You can't just let it dry out and then put more drywall back over.

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Right. Because it has soaked into the porous

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wood timbers it has. And that's where your mold begins to form.

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Yep.

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Our guys used to use a 50, 50 chlorine bleach to spray those down. And I mean, just saturate that wood really saturated.

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It'll kill off any mold that try

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to grow and then let it dry out. But there are some sanitation and health concerns that we need to be aware of. Discard contaminated food and porous materials. If you've got box spaghetti now, this would kill Krista. We'd have boxes and boxes of spaghetti to throw out if water got in.

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Well, I'm just going to move my spaghetti to a higher shelf.

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Well, that might happen. And then you want to clean and disinfect properly again. I like a 5050 bottle that bleach and water that's kind of strong, but you could use a cup to a gallon, something like that, and do very, very well with cleaning and disinfecting your surfaces. Then you want to file your insurance claims promptly. You want to get them in on it as soon as you possibly can. One reason there's going to be a lot of folks that are going to be filing insurance claims and the sooner you can get yours filed, the sooner yours comes up. You can also contact your local emergency management or your FEMA if this applies, because sometimes there's help there if it's a declared emergency. Sure, you can find some of that now.

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Friends, did you learn something from today's podcast? I did. Did you get some new ideas for your plans? In other words, do you receive value from the Practical Prepping podcast? If you do, would you help us by giving back a little? You can go to practicalprepping.info support and you'll find several ways that you can help Mark and Krista with their sweet little show.

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We do appreciate you being here today. We appreciate you taking your time each week to spend a little bit of it with us. And as Krista always says, stuff happens. Stay prepared and we'll see you next time.