Floods

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

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• Flood(Federal Emergency Management Agency)

  Also available in Spanish

• Floods(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

  Also available in Spanish

Basics	Learn More	Multimedia & Cool Tools
Overviews	Related Issues	Pictures & Photographs Videos
Research	Reference Shelf	For You
Journal Articles	Organizations Statistics	Children

Overviews

• Flooding(Environmental Protection Agency)
• Flooding and Flood Risks(Federal Emergency Management Agency)
• Floods(Dept. of Homeland Security)

  Also available in Spanish

• Preparing for Events, Floods(American Red Cross)

  Also available in Spanish

Related Issues

• Flood Cleanup(Environmental Protection Agency, Indoor Environments Division)

  Also available in Spanish

• Flood Fire Safety(United States Fire Administration)

  Also available in Spanish

• Floods(Occupational Safety and Health Administration)
• Food Safety for Consumers Returning Home After a Hurricane and/or Flooding(Food and Drug Administration)
• Get Rid of Mold(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF

  Also available in Spanish

• What Consumers Need to Know About Food and Water Safety During Hurricanes, Power Outages and Floods(Food and Drug Administration)

  Also available in Spanish

Pictures & Photographs

• U.S. Weather Watch/Warning Map(National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)

Videos

• Floods and Flash Flooding(Healthy Roads Media)

  Also available in Spanish

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Journal Articles

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

  • Article: A flood's lessons. Plan and practice, then practice again.
  • Article: A unique hospital physician disaster response system for a nonemployed...
  • Article: Looking for resilience: understanding the longitudinal trajectories of responses to...
  • Floods -- see more articles

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Organizations

• American Red Cross

  Also available in Spanish

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

  Also available in Spanish

• Federal Emergency Management Agency

  Also available in Spanish

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Statistics

• Flood Facts(Federal Emergency Management Agency)

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Children

• FEMA for Kids: Floods(Federal Emergency Management Agency)

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