Your presence may not only endanger your personal well-being but may also impede emergency relief efforts. Try to prevent fires. Do not use candles because of danger of fire. Lowered water pressure may make firefighting difficult. Respond to requests for emergency assistance from firefighters, police and relief workers.
Community participation is an important component of effective disaster relief.
Floods and Flash Floods Floods are a natural occurrence along the rivers of the American water system. Floods begin when soil and vegetation in a particular area cannot absorb rain or when water runs off the land so quickly that it cannot be diverted by the natural channels or when ponds and lakes cannot contain excess water. Some floods occur during the rainy season, or when heavy rains caused by severe weather storms fill river basins with more water than they can accommodate. All parts of the U.S. are threatened by floods, although they occur most frequently in low-lying or ocean front areas. Each year, approximately 300,000 Americans are driven from their homes by floods.