Recently Peru has been hit by a Flash Flood, which caused 640,000 causalities reported till now. Here I have listed down every important thing on How to Protect Yourself from a Flash Flood,  their causes, how to protect yourself from before, while occurring and after it occurs. In this blog we would guide you How to Protect Yourself from a Flash Flood.

A flash flood is a rapid flooding of geomorphic low-lying areas: washes, rivers, dry lakes and basins. It may be caused by heavy rain associated with a severe thunderstorm, hurricane, tropical storm, or meltwater from ice or snow flowing over ice sheets or snowfields. 

How does Flash Flood Work?

• One of those impressive late-summer thunderstorms builds up, sucking all the moisture into the sky, making huge, grand and impressive thunderheads. 

• The thunderstorms get too big, too tall, "overdeveloped." The thunderhead collapses, and all that moisture falls out of the sky in an amazingly intense rain, often accompanied by hail. 

• The storm drops a very large amount of water over a small area, in a small time. These storms commonly drop up to 4" of rain in fifteen minutes. The desert soil, baked by the summer heat, does not absorb much of anything, and the water runs off. 

• Runoff collects in gulleys, which lead to washes that lead to canyons. Because water runs faster when deeper, the water collects into a bit of a leading wave.

How to Protect Yourself?

BEFORE A FLOOD

• Avoid building in a floodplain.

• Construct barriers (levees, beams, floodwalls) to stop floodwater from entering your home.

• Seal walls in basements with waterproofing compounds to avoid seepage.

• If a flood is likely in your area, listen to the radio or television for information.

• Know the difference between a flood watch and a flood warning. A watch means flooding is possible. A warning means flooding is occurring or will occur soon.

• If the Thunderheads are already forming by noon, things are going to be bad.

• If you cannot see through the rain falling from a thunderstorm, it is strong enough to create a flash flood.

• Once the rain begins, flash flood conditions can develop in less than 5 minutes.

• If your inner gut says 'no', listen to it. Go do something else.

• However high you think you need to be to be safe from the flood, go at least twice as high.

WHEN A FLOOD IS IMMINENT

• Be prepared! Pack a bag with important items in case you need to evacuate. Don't forget to include needed medications.

• If advised to evacuate your home, do so immediately.

• If there is any possibility of a flash flood, move immediately to higher ground.

• If possible, bring in outdoor furniture and move essential items to an upper floor.

• Turn off utilities at the main switches or valves if instructed to do so. Disconnect electrical appliances.

DURING A FLOOD

• Do not walk through moving water. As little as 6 inches (15 centimeters) of moving water can make you fall.

• If you have to walk in water, wherever possible, walk where the water is not moving. Use a stick to check the firmness of the ground in front of you.

• Do not drive into flooded areas. If floodwaters rise around your car, abandon the car and move to higher ground if you can do so safely.

• Do not touch electrical equipment if you are wet or standing in water.

AFTER A FLOOD

• Listen for news reports to learn whether the community's water supply is safe to drink.

Hope this post helps you. And now you have learned How to Protect Yourself from a Flash Flood. Please Like, Comment and Share this post to prevent flash flood causalities.