Floods (Print Version)

Floods are common in the United States. Weather such as heavy rain, thunderstorms or hurricanes can cause flooding. Flooding can also happen when a river or stream overflows its bank, when a levee is breached, or when a dam breaks. Flash floods, which can develop quickly, often have a dangerous wall of roaring water. The wall carries rocks, mud, and rubble and can sweep away most things in its path.

Be aware of flood hazards no matter where you live, but especially if you live in a low-lying area, near water or downstream from a dam. Although there are no guarantees of safety during a flood, you can take actions to protect yourself. You should have a disaster plan. Being prepared can help reduce fear, anxiety and losses.

Federal Emergency Management Agency

Start Here

Flood(Federal Emergency Management Agency) - http://www.fema.gov/hazard/flood/index.shtm
Also available in Spanish http://www.fema.gov/spanish/areyouready/flood_spa.shtm
Floods(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/floods/
Also available in Spanish http://www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/floods/espanol/

Overviews

Flooding(Environmental Protection Agency) - http://www.epa.gov/naturalevents/flooding.html
Flooding and Flood Risks(Federal Emergency Management Agency) - http://www.floodsmart.gov/floodsmart/pages/flooding_flood_risks/ffr_overview.jsp
Floods(Dept. of Homeland Security) - http://www.ready.gov/america/beinformed/floods.html
Also available in Spanish http://www.listo.gov/america/beinformed/floods.html
Preparing for Events, Floods(American Red Cross) - http://www.redcross.org/portal/site/en/menuitem.86f46a12f382290517a8f210b80f78a0/?vgnextoid=fdb4510f935ea110VgnVCM10000030f3870aRCRD&vgnextfmt=default
Also available in Spanish http://www.cruzrojaamericana.org/general.asp?SN=200&OP=216&SUOP=245

Related Issues

Flood Cleanup(Environmental Protection Agency, Indoor Environments Division) - http://www.epa.gov/iaq/flood/index.html
Also available in Spanish http://www.epa.gov/iaq/flood/flood_booklet_cmyk_sp.pdf
Flood Fire Safety(United States Fire Administration) - http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/citizens/all_citizens/home_fire_prev/holiday-seasonal/flood.shtm
Also available in Spanish https://www.usfa.dhs.gov/espanol/homefireprevention/seasonal-floods.shtm
Floods(Occupational Safety and Health Administration) - http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/emergencypreparedness/guides/floods.html
Food Safety for Consumers Returning Home After a Hurricane and/or Flooding(Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition) - http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/fsdisas5.html
What Consumers Need to Know About Food and Water Safety During Hurricanes, Power Outages and Floods(Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition) - http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/fsdisas.html
Also available in Spanish http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/sfsdisas.html

Pictures & Photographs

U.S. Weather Watch/Warning Map(National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) - http://www.spc.noaa.gov/products/wwa/

Videos

Floods and Flash Flooding(Healthy Roads Media) - http://www.healthyroadsmedia.org/english/Files/flv/engfloods.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.healthyroadsmedia.org/spanish/Files/flv/spafloods.htm

Journal Articles

References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

Article: The extra mile. Hospital staff proves 'Nothing is impossible'. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19266721&tool=MedlinePlus
Article: With hospital closed by flooding, CMs help out. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19256296&tool=MedlinePlus
Article: Record floods hit Indiana. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19248337&tool=MedlinePlus
Floods -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=(floods[mh]+OR+flood*[tiab])+AND+disasters[mh]+AND+english[la]+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus

Organizations

American Red Cross - http://www.redcross.org/
Also available in Spanish http://www.cruzrojaamericana.org/
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - http://www.cdc.gov/
Also available in Spanish http://www.cdc.gov/spanish/
Federal Emergency Management Agency - http://www.fema.gov/
Also available in Spanish http://www.fema.gov/spanish/index_spa.shtm

Statistics

Flood Facts(Federal Emergency Management Agency) - http://www.floodsmart.gov/floodsmart/pages/flood_facts.jsp

Children

FEMA for Kids: Floods(Federal Emergency Management Agency) - http://www.fema.gov/kids/floods.htm

You may also be interested in these MedlinePlus related pages:

Coping with Disasters - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/copingwithdisasters.html
Disaster Preparation and Recovery - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/disasterpreparationandrecovery.html
Tsunamis - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tsunamis.html
Disasters - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/disasters.html

Floods - Multiple Languages - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/languages/floods.html