Rain, Floods and Water Advice

Living in Florida with hurricanes and monsoon-like rains can sometimes present flooding challenges. My first (and best) advice is for driving in rain--don't use cruise control. If you hit a puddle and hydro-plane, when you come out of the puddle, your car can speed up dangerously because the wheels lost contact with the road while hydroplaning. Do not drive in water that is more than 6 inches deep--or over your hubcaps. You can be swept away in very little water if the current is strong enough.

What about floods--how can you protect your stuff? If water gets into the house, it's almost always a disaster with loss of property as well as damages to the house. So, what can you do to minimize the loss? Try to get as much as possible off the floor first. Move quickly by throwing everything you can into plastic trash bags and putting it up on counters, bookshelves, cabinets or even on the beds. If you have concrete blocks, use them to raise the beds and furniture off the floor. Wrap furniture legs also with plastic bags and tape well with duct tape. Stack furniture--chairs on top of the table, small tables on top of the dressers or bed. Pull dresser drawers out, put them, contents and all into trash bags and stack them on the beds or kitchen, or bathroom counters.

Unplug appliances and try to get them (such as the refrigerator, washer and dryer) off the floor with concrete blocks also.

Finally, stay out of the water and keep your kids out of it. Flood waters are full of disease-producing sewer contents, snakes, and hidden hazards. Never, ever let kids play in flood waters. If you should come into contact with the water, wash your hands with alcohol gel before eating or touching your face and mouth. Do not use or drink your tap water if you are in flood zone. You may not know if it has been contaminated. Boil it to be safe, or use bottled water.