Monsoon Season

It is monsoon season in the desert Southwest (and tornado season in the East, hurricane season in the southeast, and rainy season in Southeast Asia).  Needless to say, there is water everywhere.  Here's some monsoon safety tips:

• If it is raining in the desert stay inside or head for higher ground.  It only takes a few minutes for flash floods to form.
• Don't drive or walk/hike through water running down streets or trails or roads; you don't know if the surface beneath the water has washed away and it only takes a few inches of water to knock a person off their feet and carry them away (less than a foot of rushing water will carry off a vehicle).
• Don't play in the washes (either natural or man-made drainage paths).  Again, rushing water can kill you even if you are a good swimmer (mostly people get trapped under debris and drown this way).
• Pay attention to weather alerts and warnings as well as calls for evacuations.  These warnings are based on the latest science so when officials say get out of the area they aren't guessing, they are trying to save lives.
• If you are going hiking or rock climbing, don't do so when it has recently rained, is currently raining, or is forecasted to rain.  Slot canyons are especially deadly when it is raining, and some of the best rocks for climbing in the desert crumble away when they get wet.
• Buy flood insurance if you live in a flood-prone area (flood damage isn't usually covered under basic homeowner insurance policies).
• Try not to drive when it is raining in the desert for several reasons: people don't know how to drive in the rain here which becomes obvious pretty quickly, hydroplaning is common, the roads are really slippery (oil in the road rises to the top when it rains), and roads often become de-facto drainage paths for flood water.
• Monsoon season also brings electrical storms as well as dust storms so prepare for those as well.

5 Quick Tips to Prevent Dying in a Flash Flood

It is flash flood season in the desert southwest and, unfortunately, we just had our first death due to the floods yesterday.  This doesn't have to happen.  With a few tips, you can avoid dying in a flash flood:

1. Watch the weather both on TV (the TV news will tell you about impending rain storms and possible flash flooding) as well as in the sky (you will see dark rain clouds moving towards you).  Note that when you see dark rain clouds off in the distance, a flash flood in your area may be imminent as the rain dropping miles away can quickly create fast moving streams of water heading your directions which brings us to...
2. When flash flooding is in progress get to higher ground.  The fast-moving streams of water, which are created because the ground is so hard that the water moves on top of the ground to the lowest place it can find, can sweep you off your feet even if there are only a few inches of water.  Less than a foot of fast moving flood waters can carry off an SUV.  There were a number of people who had to be rescued yesterday because they were walking in the run-off washes (drainage canals) and couldn't get through the water to higher ground.  Never hang out in these low lying areas when it is raining and obviously, never get stuck in canyons when it is raining or forecast to be raining.
3. For the same reason, never try to drive through flooded roads.  Besides the danger of fast moving water washing away your vehicle, you could also drive into what looks like the road but the road could actually be washed out or, the couple inches of water can grow to a foot of water faster than you can drive down the street.
4. If your home is in a flood zone and news reports say floods are heading your way, try to proactively get to higher ground.  This may mean leaving your home and heading up the nearest hill or mountain.  If you can't leave your home try to get to an upper floor or your roof.  If you can't leave your car try to get on the car's roof.  The point is to NOT end up in a flooded area because someone will have to risk life and limb (if they can find you) to save your life.
5. Don't think that you will just "go with the flow" of the water, either by trying to swim or boat in it.  The water moves so fast and grows so deep that even if you can manage to not knock your head on something, you will probably drown because you will end up pinned under debris.

With a bit of forewarning and some common sense, people can avoid flash floods all together.

We Interrupt Our Regular Programming...To Talk About Disasters

Today's post was going to be about Bug Out Bags or some other useful bit of preparedness information but there are two disasters making news that need to be addressed.

I'll discuss the shooting in Washington DC tomorrow as information is still coming in and it is kind of useless to make suppositions when there is very little actual information available as of yet.

So today we will talk about the flooding that is hammering Colorado.  Here's some things to consider:

• Even if you live in an area that is NOT prone to flooding, you should do a bit of research to learn about the dangers of floods and flash floods.  One of the areas that was flooded in Colorado was said to have experienced a "1000 year flood".  Obviously no one would be prepared for such a thing but learning what to do in such a highly unlikely event is good to know.
• Pay attention to the news.  In the event of a pending flood, the news (radio, TV, online, even alerts on your cell phone) will provide continually updated information on what is happening, what to expect, and what to do (such as evacuation).
• You should always be prepared to evacuate at a moments notice (not only for floods but for tornadoes, chemical spills, etc).  We will discuss evacuating in a future post.  See how helpful your emergency fund would be in this situation?
• When the message comes to evacuate, GO!  There were many people who decided not to evacuate when told to and, while that is their prerogative, that also means they shouldn't call 911 for assistance later on when things get really bad.  If you are told to go, go.  Don't make someone else risk their life to help you because you decided that you would be equal to mother nature (you aren't).
• Have a place to evacuate to.  While communities will set up shelters for evacuees, if you have another place to go, that may be a better option (not only does it leave space for those with absolutely nowhere else to go, but living in a shelter isn't all that pleasant).
• Don't forget to take important things with you when you evacuate (medications since pharmacies may be closed, important documents, heirlooms that can't be replaced, etc).
• Make sure you will be taken care of after the disaster.  This includes having comprehensive insurance coverage and making a home inventory BEFORE disaster strikes.
• Have a communications plan.  In the event of a disaster, communication with loved ones becomes very important.  This can be difficult when all lines of communication are down so determine ahead of time how to communicate with family members who may be searching for you (a HAM radio may be your only option immediately after a disaster, the Red Cross or Google "people finder" can also be useful).
• Find out what assistance is available after a disaster.  This can range from FEMA disaster assistance to dispersal points for donations of food and water to information on clean up.  Your local newspaper, your local department of emergency management, or Red Cross office will usually provide this information.
• Finally, flood water is nothing to mess with.  Don't walk in it, swim in it, drive in it, etc.  Flood water kills many people each year, usually due to rapidly rising, rapidly moving water that catches people unaware.  Don't become a victim.

And here are more tips to prepare for a flood:

• FloodSmart Preps
• FEMA flood info
• SFFWF flood info
• Nat Geo Flood Tips
• Red Cross Flood Checklist

It's Monsoon Season in the Desert

While living in the desert means we may only get six days of rain a year, all of the rain seems to come at once.  This has been the case over the past few days.  Wind, rain, thunder, lightening...all made an appearance over the past few days and in some areas (fortunately not where we live) that led to flash floods.  Here's some precautions to take when in the desert during monsoon season (aka summer):

• If it is raining, try to stay indoors.  Floods can form very quickly.  You may be walking down a dry street one minute and see a river of water coming at you the next.
• If it is raining, try not to drive in low-lying areas and certainly don't drive on flooded streets (you don't know if the street below the water has been washed away or not).
• Don't play in the wash!  Each season the washes fill up with water and look like fun places to play.  Each season people drown from playing or swimming in the wash because the fast moving water sweeps them down the channel and drowns them under the debris.  Sad.
• Pay attention to the news.  If there is rain predicted, you can guarantee it will be a big deal on the news (not so much in Seattle, but in the desert it is a whole different story).  There will be newscasts warning about potential flooding and a weather alert will flash across your regular TV programs to alert you as well.
• Something new:  this is the first time I have received an unsolicited weather-alert on my cell phone (see photo above) and it seemed like the alert was pinged off of the local towers because everyone in the poker room a couple days ago received the same alert.
• Prepare your home for a storm just like you would do anywhere else.  If you know it will be windy and stormy, bring in (or tie down) the lawn furniture, lawn ornaments, deck chairs, garbage cans, etc. so they won't fly down the road.
• Cut down dead or dying trees before storm season begins.  Some people didn't do this.
• If the weatherman says there will be a storm, postpone your outdoor activities (like hiking or golf).  Lightening is nothing to mess with.
• If you live in an area that is prone to flooding, take precautions ahead of time (like sandbagging, finding out where the closest shelter is that you can evacuate to, having your BOB ready to go at a moment's notice, etc).
• These storms can also cut your electricity for either a short or long time; prepare accordingly.
• Unplug your sensitive appliances (like TVs and computers) during an electrical storm.

These are basic, common sense rules which can often be forgotten in the middle of an exciting storm.  Yes, the water looks pretty, but yes, the force of less than a foot of fast moving water can knock you off your feet and carry you away.  Ditto for your car.

10 Things About Flash Floods

A suitable topic since it is now "flashflooding" around Las Vegas today.  Here's ten things to know about flash floods.

1. If you come from a place where it rains copiously (like Seattle) be aware that when it rains copiously in places that don't get much rain (like Las Vegas and other desert areas) you will probably end up in a flash flood situation.  Unless the ground is very permeable, the rain will have nowhere to go except to run along the surface of the ground where it will gather at low spots and form impromptu rivers in places there weren't rivers only a couple of hours before.
2. Pay attention to flash flood warnings on TV and on the radio (and in messages to your cell phone from  organizations that send out such warnings).  This will give you a heads up on when and where flash floods may occur.
3. Try to stay inside during flash floods.  These types of floods are usually accompanied by thunder and lightening storms.  It's just safer to be inside.
4. Be super careful when driving.  Never drive through standing water--the road could be gone beneath the water or there could be stuff there you don't want to drive over.  Also, slow down--hydroplaning is not a good thing.  And of course, watch out for people who don't follow these rules.
5. Stay away from the wash.  In places where flash flooding is common you will see empty drainage areas that will fill up with water when it floods.  These "washes" are just like rivers when they get water in them but unlike rivers, they are not places to swim or play.  The water is moving swiftly and full of junk and you can drown very easily so stay away from them.
6. Stay away from impromptu washes.  Even if you don't see an "official" wash, racing water can pool into a river, down streets and other raceways, and can literally carry you and/or your car away.  Stay away from these places!
7. If you don't know where to go during a flash flood, go to the highest ground you can find.  The water will tend to pool and run at the lowest areas (low lying intersections, running in a river down the slope of a mountain, etc.  Don't remain in these low-lying spots.
8. Go elsewhere.  During a disaster, even something as small as a flash flood mini disaster, people automatically want to get home no no matter what.  If you come upon a flooding area, no matter how close you are to home, turn around and go elsewhere.  The possibility of dying in flood water is so big that is isn't worth the risk.
9. Do not wade through flood water, no matter how shallow.  Besides the possibility that it could be running swiftly, knock you down and carry you away, there is all kinds of crap in flood water that you don't want on you: chemicals, oil from the street, sewage waste, snakes(!), etc. 
10. Prepare your home for a flood.  If you know floods are on the horizon, take precautions in your home.  If lightening is forecasted, unplug your appliances and avoid taking a shower or bath during the storm.  If appropriate, put sandbags around areas of your home or yard that tend to flood.  If flooding is common in your area put things up: put your furnace and hot water tank up on a solid platform.  Consider flood insurance.

Basically be careful, use common sense, and don't underestimate the power of rushing water.