FLOODING FEARS: What is a flash flood? How can you protect your business?

FLOODING FEARS: WHAT IS A FLASH FLOOD?

What is flash flooding, and what causes it? Flooding happens when heavy rain causes an overflow of water on normally dry land. Flash flooding happens when that overflow happens very quickly or lightning-fast. A flash flood must happen within six hours of heavy rainfall or another event that means flooding is going to happen. In many cases, flooding will happen within three hours. Heavy rainfall isn’t the only way flash flooding can happen, a mudslide or a levee breaking can also cause flash flooding. 

WHERE DO FLASH FLOODS HAPPEN? 

Flash floods can happen anywhere and anytime but are more likely to happen in cities than in rural areas. Cities have fewer places for water to sink into the ground and are mainly paved or covered in concrete; therefore, there is nowhere for the water to go. Cities also have buildings, so they create channels for water to flow. 

WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN FLASH FLOODING IS IMMINENT?  

In most cases, businesses will have little time to prepare, but AccuWeather's SkyGuard® Warnings can help you prepare for flooding threats. In most cases, AccuWeather will alert you days before flooding potential, providing you with much-needed time to stay safe and protect your property. 

During a flash flood, you should move to the highest point possible. Avoid going into basements, underground parking garages, or storage areas when flash flooding is imminent. It is never safe to drive or walk through rising waters. A good phrase to remember is turn around, don’t drown. AccuWeather For Business will send you an alert when flash flooding is imminent so you, your employees, and your customers can get to higher ground. You should take action immediately. 

HOW DO YOU PREPARE YOUR BUSINESS FOR A FLASH FLOODING EVENT? 

Businesses should always be prepared for flash flooding because you never know when it could happen and should:

• Identify hazards most likely to impact your location & cause business disruption 
• Inventory equipment and merchandise 
• Identify time needed for equipment shutdowns and travel times to shelter 
• Ensure all employees and visitors on-site have a way to be notified of severe weather
• Integrate protective actions directly into warning messages 
• Protect your company against liability by ensuring all employees know the actions to take during severe weather 
• Establish an emergency communication plan. Share employee, client, and vendor contact information beforehand and provide the plan to critical staff

Be proactive with AccuWeather's SkyGuard® Warnings, which will deliver site-specific alerts and offer warnings well before severe weather hits, giving you much-needed time to be prepared. 

 Benefits of SkyGuard® Warnings: 

• Proactive, site-specific alerts offer warnings well before severe weather impacts occur
• Live one-on-one or group consultation is provided by our weather experts anytime, day or night
• Alerts delivered in a format that aligns with your organizational emergency management plan
• All-clear notifications are sent when a threat is over, minimizing weather-related downtime
• All alerts are delivered via push notification from the SkyGuard mobile app, available on Android and iOS

 Want to learn more about how we can help you? Demo SkyGuard® today and protect your business, employees, and assets.