Flood

Almost everything that reduces flood damage gets done while it isn't raining. There are three things you can't improvise on the day of the warning: knowing whether your home is in a flood zone, already having flood insurance, and having decided where you're going.

1. Find out your real risk, not the one you remember. The question isn't "has this flooded before?" but "is my street in a flood zone according to the official map?" Almost every country has a flood-risk map published by its water agency, its weather service, or its civil-protection agency. Look it up by the name of your municipality. Ready.gov lists this as the first step, for a practical reason: insurance and public assistance are decided by the map, not by the neighborhood's memory.
2. Buy flood insurance months in advance. This is the most expensive mistake, and the most common one. Flood insurance usually doesn't take effect right away. Ready.gov warns: "It typically takes up to 30 days for a policy to go into effect so the time to buy is well before a disaster." Buying it once a rain warning is already out does nothing for you. And watch out: in many countries a standard homeowner's policy doesn't cover flooding; you have to buy it separately.
3. Move what can't get wet to higher ground, and do it now. Documents, photos, hard drives, medicine, and electronics go upstairs or on high shelves. If you live on the ground floor, pack them in sealed plastic bins and raise those bins up on blocks. Ready.gov adds two things people forget: clear your drains and gutters, and consider installing backflow valves on your drainage, which is what keeps sewage from backing up into your house through the shower drain.
4. Pack your go-bag and decide your route. Water, non-perishable food, a flashlight, a battery-powered radio, a charger, medicine, and copies of your documents, ready so you can leave without having to think. And decide ahead of time which high ground you're heading to and which street you'll take: the shortest route is usually the first one to flood, because water follows the same low points that streets were originally laid out along.
5. Photograph your home before anything happens. Walk through with your phone recording video, room by room, with appliances and furniture visible. Save it to the cloud. It's the proof your insurer and public assistance programs will ask for, and once the flood has happened you can't go back and shoot it.

Murky water hides what's underneath it. Water that shallow-looking can be covering a sinkhole where there used to be pavement, a manhole cover popped loose by the pressure, or a downed power line. Nobody can judge the depth from behind the wheel, which is why the rule allows no exceptions: turn around, don't drown.

1. Evacuate immediately, if told to evacuate. Ready.gov adds: "Never drive around barricades." They're placed where the road no longer exists.
2. Shut off the electricity and gas before you leave, if you can do it with dry footing and without touching anything wet.
3. Go up, don't go out. If the water has already surrounded you and there's no dry route out, move higher inside the building and let someone know where you are.
4. Stay inside your car if it is trapped in rapidly moving water. Get on the roof if water is rising inside the car. That's Ready.gov's literal instruction.
5. NEVER touch a fallen power line, and don't drive through standing water where power lines have come down (CDC).
6. Text instead of calling. The voice network gets overloaded before the data network does, and a text keeps trying to send whenever there's an opening.

Children

Floodwater in a street looks like play, and it's a current. Don't let them out of your sight for a moment, and explain to them beforehand —not during— that you don't go into the water even when it looks shallow.

Older adults or people with limited mobility

Evacuating takes far longer than people estimate. If someone in your home needs help moving, leave at the first warning, not the last one. And bring medication for several days, not just one.

People who depend on electric-powered equipment

Oxygen concentrators, dialysis, pumps: the power goes out before the water arrives. Decide ahead of time which hospital or center you'll go to, and tell someone outside the area.

The CDC is specific about what floodwater carries: downed power lines, human and livestock waste, hazardous household, medical, and industrial waste, physical debris like lumber and rubble, and displaced animals —rodents and snakes included. It isn't "dirty water": it's water contaminated with something different every time.

1. Before you go in: gas and electricity. The CDC is direct: "If you smell gas or suspect a leak, turn off the main gas valve, open all windows, and leave your house immediately." And electricity doesn't get reconnected on your own: "Have an electrician check the house's electrical system before turning the power on again." Never handle electrical equipment while standing in water.
2. If you have to step into the water, protect yourself. The CDC specifies the gear: "wear rubber boots, rubber gloves, and goggles." Wash any wound with clean water and soap as soon as possible, and cover open wounds with a waterproof bandage to lower the risk of infection.
3. Document before you throw anything out. Photograph and film every room, every piece of furniture, and every damaged appliance, with the waterline visible on the wall. Keep the receipts for everything you spend during the emergency. Without that, insurance and public assistance come down to just your word.
4. Dry everything out immediately, and throw out what can't be disinfected. Pump or drain out the water and start drying the same day —wet/dry vacuums, pumps, fans, and dehumidifiers. The CDC also warns about something almost nobody does: inspect and clean the air conditioning or heating system BEFORE turning it on, because if it has mold, running it spreads that mold through the whole house. And some materials can't be saved: "throw away items that cannot be disinfected, like wall coverings, cloth, rugs, and drywall."
5. Food and water: when in doubt, throw it out. The CDC: throw out any food that may have touched floodwater, perishables that went without refrigeration during the power outage, and anything with an unusual smell, color, or texture. For water, follow what your local authority says about whether it's safe to drink; if you have a well, get it tested before you use it.

A family plan is not a pretty document: it is a handful of agreements made today, while everyone is calm, so you do not have to decide with your heart racing and no signal on your phone. It takes one conversation over the table and fits on a sheet of paper stuck to the refrigerator.

1. Decide where to meet, in two different places. One near home, for getting out quickly, and another outside the neighborhood, in case you cannot get back to the area. Everyone should know both by heart, children included, and it should not depend on anyone having a phone handy.
2. Name an out-of-area contact. One person in another city that everyone texts when they can. That person gathers information and passes it along, so no one has to go out looking for anyone else. It works because local lines get overloaded first, and because a text gets through where a call does not.
3. Assign responsibilities to specific people. Who grabs the emergency bag, who shuts off the gas and power, who helps the older person or someone with reduced mobility, who gets the pets out. A task with no owner is a task no one does.
4. Keep the list on paper. Phone numbers for family, the out-of-area contact, the doctor, the school, insurance, and emergency services. On paper, in the emergency bag, and in your wallet. A phone with a dead battery has no address book.
5. Practice it once. A fifteen-minute drill reveals what the conversation does not: that the emergency bag was buried in the closet, that no one knows where the gas shutoff is, that the child does not remember the meeting point. Repeat it at least once a year and whenever something important at home changes.

How to store it so it works when you need it

The CDC calls for approved food-grade containers with a tight-fitting lid, made of a sturdy, unbreakable material —never glass— and with a narrow mouth for pouring. An explicit warning: never use a container that has held toxic chemicals such as bleach or pesticides. And what almost everyone forgets: stored water should be replaced every 6 months. To disinfect the container before filling it, use a teaspoon of unscented household bleach per liter of water, wait 30 seconds, and pour it out.

What food to keep on hand

Ready.gov recommends several days of non-perishable food and gives a concrete list: ready-to-eat canned meats, fruits, and vegetables —and a can opener—, protein or fruit bars, dry cereal or granola, peanut butter, dried fruit, canned juices, and pasteurized long-life milk. The rule when putting it together is simple: food your family will actually eat, that needs no cooking, and that you can rotate before it expires.

• Keep the refrigerator and freezer closed: every time you open one, you waste hours of stored cold.
• Throw out any food that has touched floodwater, even if the container looks intact. This is an explicit Ready.gov instruction.
• Keep a manual can opener. It is the item people forget most, and without it your pantry is useless.
• If you buy bottled water, keep it sealed in its original container, in a cool, dark place.

When the cell network is overloaded: text, do not call

The joint FCC and FEMA guide explains why: "text messages may get through when your call does not", even if delivery is delayed when the network is congested. And it asks for something almost no one does: "limit non-emergency calls", because every call takes up space that emergency communications need. Also save a contact under the name "ICE" (In Case of Emergency), the convention rescue personnel look for on someone else's phone.

How to stretch your battery

The same guide recommends lowering screen brightness and turning off apps to conserve charge. In an emergency your phone stops being entertainment and becomes your only line to the outside world: treat it like your water supply.

The battery-powered radio is still irreplaceable

The FCC and FEMA recommend a battery-powered radio or a portable television to follow emergency bulletins during power outages. It is the only channel that depends on neither your electricity nor the cell network.

The alerts you already have and did not know about

In the United States, Wireless Emergency Alerts are free messages that go straight to your phone for severe weather, AMBER alerts, and threats to safety in your area. Two things worth knowing: you do not need to sign up —phones have supported them since 2012— and they are not affected by network congestion, so they get through when calls no longer do. Find out what the equivalent system is in your country, and do not mute it.

• Have at least one light source that does not depend on the grid: a battery-powered or hand-crank flashlight, or a rechargeable lamp.
• Charge phones and backup batteries before the forecast event arrives, not after the power is already out.
• Keep a list of important phone numbers on paper: if your phone dies, your contacts die with it.
• Agree with your family that after an emergency everyone texts the same contact instead of calling each other.

This is the section that decides who has a hard time and who has a dangerously hard time. An emergency does not suspend diabetes, high blood pressure, pregnancy, or dependence on an oxygen concentrator: what gets cut off is access to the pharmacy, the clinic, and electricity. Everything that follows needs to be prepared beforehand, because once the emergency hits, there is no more room.

1. Keep a reserve of your medications, and know which ones hold up. Ready.gov calls for a several-day supply of prescription medications. For those that need refrigeration, the CDC is blunt: once the power has been out for a day or more, discard any medication that requires refrigeration, unless its label says otherwise.
2. The insulin exception, worth knowing word for word. The FDA documents that insulin in the manufacturer's original vials or cartridges —opened or unopened— can stay unrefrigerated between 15 and 30 °C (59 and 86 °F) for up to 28 days and still work. It loses effectiveness at extreme temperatures, and the longer the exposure, the less effective it becomes. In an emergency "you may still need to use insulin that was stored above 30 °C" —that is better than not using it at all— but as soon as proper storage is available again, those vials should be discarded and replaced.
3. If someone depends on electric medical equipment, there is one step almost no one takes. Ready.gov says it explicitly: you can ask your power company to put you on a priority list for service restoration. That step is free, can be done on any ordinary day, and changes the order in which you get reconnected. Add a backup battery for an electric wheelchair and for any assistive device, and talk with your doctor about how to keep the equipment running during a power outage.
4. Keep a copy of medical information, not just the pills. A list of medications with dosages, allergies, diagnoses, doctors' contact information, and —for infants— the vaccination record. A prescription bottle cannot always be refilled at a pharmacy in another city; a written list can solve that.

Pregnancy and newborns

The CDC calls for prenatal vitamins and other medications in the kit, plus supplies in case delivery happens without being able to reach a hospital: clean towels, clean sharp scissors, a bulb syringe, gloves, two clean white shoelaces to tie the cord, clean sheets, sanitary pads, soap or alcohol, and garbage bags. For infants: diapers, wipes, ointment, bottles, and formula. One detail that matters: ready-to-feed formula is the safest option in an emergency, because it does not need to be mixed with water and comes in sterile, single-use containers.

Disability, reduced mobility, and older adults

Ready.gov stresses planning accessible transportation in advance for evacuating or getting around, and including a service or support animal with its food, water, and supplies. That plan should be worked out with specific, named neighbors, not left vague.

The blow that comes later: mental health

The CDC names the normal reactions after a disaster —fear, anger, sadness, worry, numbness, frustration, trouble sleeping, or nightmares— and recommends taking care of your body, staying in touch with other people, and taking breaks from the news. In the United States and its territories, the Disaster Distress Helpline is available 24 hours a day: 1-800-985-5990, with service in Spanish. Asking for help here is not weakness: it is part of recovery, just like repairing the roof.

1. Before you go back in: look, smell, and listen from outside. The CDC lays it out this way: if you smell gas or suspect a leak, shut off the main valve, open all the windows, and get out immediately. If there is standing water inside and you can cut the power from a dry spot, do it. And one simple warning that prevents explosions and fires: use battery-powered flashlights, not candles, gas lanterns, or torches.
2. Ventilate before you settle in. The CDC recommends going in briefly to open doors and windows, and letting the house air out for at least 30 minutes before staying inside.
3. Shutting off utilities: when to do it, and the mistake you cannot make. Gas has a rule with no exceptions: if you shut it off for any reason, only a qualified professional can turn it back on. Never turn it back on yourself. Electricity is shut off by switching off the individual circuits first and the main breaker last —the order matters, because an electrical spark can ignite gas if there is a leak—. Water should be shut off if pipes may have cracked, because that contaminates the house supply, and should not be turned back on until authorities confirm it is safe to drink.
4. Go back only when authorities say it is safe. It sounds obvious, and it is the instruction people break most often: go back home only when authorities say it is safe. Structural damage is not always visible from the street.

• Make a photo inventory of what is in each room today: it takes twenty minutes and is worth its weight in gold for a claim.
• Keep that inventory and your policies outside the house —in the cloud or with a family member— because a file that gets soaked along with the house is useless.
• If you have to leave, take your documents with you, not your furniture.
• Do not sign anything with a contractor while you are in shock: check the money section for the warning signs of fraud.

The documents you need to protect today

The official recommendation is to keep insurance policies, deeds, property records, and other important papers in a safe place outside the house. FEMA publishes the Emergency Financial First Aid Kit for this, organized into four sections: household identification, financial and legal documentation, medical information, and contacts. Its rule for paper: a fireproof and waterproof box or safe, a bank safe-deposit box, or in the hands of someone you trust. For digital files: password-protected files on an external drive or in secure storage outside the home. And if you pay everything online, print your account records periodically.

An emergency fund, even a small one

The CFPB avoids magic formulas: "the amount you need depends on your situation", but "even a small amount can provide some financial security". Its underlying argument is the one that matters: without that cushion, a single unexpected expense can grow far larger than the original bill through interest and fees, because it forces you to rely on credit.

What people need to buy changes during the cleanup, and it changes fast: in the first days, what sells is what helps get water and mud out, and from the first week on, what helps dry out and restock. This list is a guide: actual demand depends on your area, the level of damage, and what nearby businesses already offer.

• Cleaning and disinfecting: bleach, soap, brooms, squeegees, buckets, mops, brushes.
• Personal protection for cleanup: plastic boots, gloves, face masks.
• Heavy-duty bags for debris and waste.
• Bottled water and water jugs, while the supply hasn't come back.
• Prepared, affordable food for families left without a kitchen.
• Batteries, lamps, extension cords, and portable power banks.
• Fans and drying equipment: it's the most requested item and the one usually in shortest supply, because drying out walls and furniture is what decides whether mold takes hold.
• Bedding, blankets, and basic clothing.

It helps to start with one figure to size up what we're talking about: according to the ILO, informality affects nearly half of the employed population of Latin America and the Caribbean, around 47%, with huge differences between countries — under 30% in Uruguay and Chile, over 70% in Bolivia and Peru. For millions of families in the region, "looking for a job" and "starting something on your own" are the same sentence. What follows is not a promise of income: it is a map of what people actually do when a crisis hits, with the requirements and the risks laid out plainly.

Mud cleanup and drying — the job with a clock

It's the biggest demand and the most urgent, because it has a deadline: NIOSH puts the window to remove or dry wet material at 24 to 48 hours before mold sets in. Whoever arrives within that window is doing the job right; whoever arrives after is already doing remediation, which is a different thing. A limit worth knowing and respecting: above 10 square feet of mold, or if the water came from sewage, the EPA treats it as work for an experienced professional.

Services that replace what the home lost

When a family loses its washing machine, its kitchen, or its transportation, you get immediate demand for laundry by the pound, prepared food delivered to homes or to work crews, and hauling furniture and debris if you have a vehicle. These are the lowest-investment businesses on this list, and the ones that can start the same day.

Paperwork and digital assistance

Very underserved, with real demand: scanning documents that got wet or were recovered, filling out online aid and insurance forms, printing receipts. Many people lose the aid they were entitled to because they couldn't complete a form, not because they didn't qualify.

Minor repairs

Masonry, painting, carpentry, and basic plumbing have work for months. What does not belong here: electrical and gas work and structural inspections, which require qualified personnel. Offering them without proper training puts lives at risk, including your own.

United States — SBA disaster loans

For areas with a declared disaster. The Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) provides working capital for affected small businesses and nonprofit organizations; the physical damage loan covers losses not covered by insurance. Combined cap of $2 million, interest not exceeding 4% if you cannot obtain credit elsewhere, terms of up to 30 years, and the first payment deferred 12 months. There is also a line for homeowners (up to $500,000) and for renters for personal property (up to $100,000).

Mexico — what actually exists today

FONDEN stopped taking on new commitments on January 1, 2021. What operates today in emergencies is PAEAN, run by Civil Protection, and it is worth knowing exactly what it is and is not: it delivers relief supplies — food kits, water, blankets, roofing sheets, cleaning materials — when a state's own capacity is overwhelmed. It is not a reconstruction fund or a loan for your business. For capital, look at state, municipal, or development-bank programs, always verifying on the official website: fraud schemes that use its name circulate around these programs.

Brazil — Pronampe for micro and small businesses

A credit line for microenterprises (annual revenue up to 360,000 reais) and small businesses (from 360,000 to 4.8 million). The amount can reach up to 60% of the previous year's gross revenue for businesses with more than one year in operation, and up to 50% for new ones. The maximum rate is the SELIC rate plus up to 6% per year.

Related guides on this site:

• Hurricane — most severe flooding arrives with tropical cyclones.
• Severe storms and extreme rain — fast flash flooding and overwhelmed drainage.
• Health crisis — outbreaks after the water and overwhelmed medical services.
• Economic crisis — keeping income going while recovery drags on.
• All crises in your country.