Inclusive guide: we advice you step by step how to face floods
Index:
First block: preliminary questions
a) The four guide goals
b) The four actions when there is a threat of flooding
c) The three key aspects of the insurance policy
Second block: we protect all people, their pets and their possessions
d) Tips for people with disability
e) Tips for everyone to protect themselves and their pets
f) When the storm is unleashed
Let's go!
First block: preliminary questions
a) The four guide goals
1. That both people with disability problems and those without it access to accurate advice
2. To improve your self-protection prior to the event (also for your family, pets and material goods).
3. Prepare your home or premises
4. To be ready for an orderly evacuation, make things easy for the Civil Protection authorities -and do not leave anything important behind-
We remind you: always obey the authorities.
b) The four actions to take when there is a threat of flooding
According to the experts, we must do the following:
1. Avoid: prevent the water from enveloping the building.
2. Resist: preserve the building interior
3. Tolerate: let the water enter the building but adequately protect the objects or living beings in the building.
4. Quit: sometimes the flooding can be enormous. In this case, we must be aware of the exits from the building.
c) Three key aspects of the insurance policy
- It has to cover damages due to rainfall excesses: from 40 liters per square meter per hour the compensations are activated
- It has to compensate filtrations from terraces and roofs
- It has to assume the cost of leaks from roofs or façades
It is also convenient to know two additional questions:
- They are regulated by the Law 50/1980 that you can check in this link (in Spanish).
- The 'Consorcio de Compensación de seguros is the official organization to alleviate the consequences of torrential rainfall. Keep in mind that after the disaster you have seven days to record videos of what happened to your home or business and claim compensation from this organization.
d) Advice for people with disability
When it is necessary to evacuate children and disabled people are the priority: our guide will follow the same criteria.
As a person with disability, evaluate, if:
1. Do you have a network of people to contact in case of emergency?
2. Train your empathy to communicate in a kind and precise way: people who help you are not obliged to know what you need. Communication is the strength of people with disability
3. Honestly ask to yourself: "what could I do on my own in case of flooding?"
4. What technical aids do you have at home -before the emergency- what would you need?
5. Ask for help to prepare a kit with the essential things that we will specify below:
- Essential medicines (and a paper indicating active principles to which you are allergic).
- Personal documentation (ID card, a copy of the document with the degree of disability recognized, the 'Meva Salut' Catalonian health app which contains vaccinations and medical history).
- Your cell phone full of charge
- A transistor
-A flashlight
- Coat of clothing
- Protective clothes (raincoats, water bottles, etc.)
6. If you are visually impaired, deaf or hard of hearing (difficulty in developing language), you should plan ahead to have a person transmit essential information to you using visual representation boards, where drawn objects and the corresponding word appear
7. Take care -or ask them to do it for you- to leave the passageway without obstacles or tall objects (these have to be in high points so that the water does not run over them easily)
8. If you receive help from a social assistance service at home, ask them how they will act in case of an emergency. Plan how to evacuate in an emergency and ask for help from the technicians of the assistance service so that they can tell you if what you have planned is correct
9. If you use a motorized wheelchair, keep the rescue manual in a safe place
10. In case you have vision problems, keep an extra folding stick next to your bed
11. Take a whistle and use it to attract attention
12. For people with hearing problems, keep extra batteries for their hearing devices with emergency supplies
13. Think about storing your hearing devices in a container attached to the bottom of your bed or bedside table so that you can quickly locate them after a disaster
e) Tips for everyone to protect themselves and their pets
Indoors:
1. Take an inventory of everything you own. After completing the inventory, make a video to prove to the insurance company how the home or premises looked before the disaster
2. Make sure your home is fully waterproofed
3. Prepare a kit with the things you cannot forget at home for evacuation:
- Essential medicines (and a piece of paper indicating active ingredients to which you are allergic)
- Personal documentation, ID card and the "Meva Salut" app (in Catalonia or the one offered by the health department of the community where you live). It contains vaccinations and medical history
- Charged cell phone
- A transistor
-A flashlight
- Warm clothes
- Protective clothing (raincoats, waterproof boots, etc.)
4. Do you have pets? Follow the steps below:
- Indicate at the door the presence of pets to emergency services
- Identify someone you trust to care for them during and after the flood
- Dogs and cats should wear collars, leashes, vaccination and identification tags at all times
- Know where your pets usually hide, so you can easily find them in case of an emergency
- Just as you have done for yourself, prepare a pet emergency backpack. Add a current color photograph of you and your pet together, copies of medical records with dates of vaccinations, proof of ownership and identification, a collapsible cage, a muzzle and leash
5. Install a lightning rod: it will be the first barrier against short circuits and voltage dips
6. Locate and eliminate leaks anywhere in the house or premises where you live or work and repair possible cracks in the sides of doors, paying special attention to the space between threshold and door and windows (if you can't, contact an expert)
7. Keep downspouts and rainwater drains clean, especially in patios or on rooftops
8. Control the deterioration of the roof and terraces to avoid leaks that may affect the structure of the building (if you cannot, contact a technical architect)
9. In: basements, first floors, premises with flooding possibilities and attics, plan protection measures and have tools available to remove water, such as water pumps
10. Repair the terrace joints as we explain in this link
11. We also advise against putting fixed elements on the terrace such as: wooden or synthetic PVC decking because the rainwater remains stagnant and, therefore, we cannot drain it or clean it. Finally, when the surface dries out, the problem persists
12. Pay special attention to: storage rooms, basements and garages because they are easily flooded
In the garden:
1. Clean up dry leaves, they will block drains
2. Cover your plants. There are specific plastic sheeting available on the market. The plastic must be taut, so that it does not form pockets, but allow air to enter to ventilate. If you have a greenhouse, turn it into a shelter for the most fragile species.
3. Enable a nearby space where you can remove the furniture quickly
4. If you have a greenhouse, turn it into a shelter for the most fragile species
5. Make sure that the drainage is not blocked
f) When the storm is in progress
1. Never use the elevator during heavy rains: you can die. The reason is that the power will go out, the elevator will stop and, if the flooding is heavy, the water will rise.
2. Close the windows, reinforce the glass and lower the blinds
3. Turn off the electricity, gas and water supply. Do it when the sky warns that the storm will be serious. With these actions we want to protect the electrical panel. At the same time you have to turn off the gas to prevent an explosion, finally close the water stopcock
4. Avoid carbon monoxide poisoning from generators: use them at a distance of at least 6 meters from any door, window or ventilation grill.
5. Do not go near channeled rivers and never cross them by car
This text would not have been possible without the sources used: the Center for Disease Control of the United States, the Department of Interior of the Generalitat and Civil Protection of Montcada and Reixac. In addition, we link those materials.
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