What To Do In A Flood, Before, During And After
In July 2025, we've seen the deadliest U.S. rainfall flash flood since 1976 along the Guadalupe River in Texas, followed by more destructive, killer flooding in Ruidoso, New Mexico.
Over the past 30 years, floods have been the nation's second biggest weather killer behind only heat. But floods don't have to kill you.
Here are some tips to keep you safe before, during and after a flash flood. Much of this involves having a plan, awareness of the forecast, the ability to receive watches and warnings, and acting quickly.
- While any area where extreme rainfall occurs can flood, find out if you live in a floodplain or other area more susceptible to flooding through FEMA's flood maps. You could also ask people who have lived in your area for a while whether and how often flooding previously occurred.
- If you're camping or hiking, be aware of the potential for flash flooding, even in normally placid creeks, streams and rivers and especially in higher terrain.
- In either of these situations, figure out how to leave your area quickly in case of a flash flood. If camping or hiking, that may require you to climb higher, and not necessarily on marked trails.
- Make sure you have multiple ways of receiving National Weather Service flood watches and warnings, including from your smartphone, NOAA weather radio, or from local media.
- If your area is in a flood watch, know that flooding could occur any time the watch is in effect. Monitor closely for any National Weather Service flood or flash flood warnings.
- When a warning is issued, avoid unnecessary travel unless an evacuation is needed.
- Never drive through flooded roads or around barriers put up in front of a section of road closed from flooding. Moving water can float and carry away a vehicle, trapping you inside.
- If a flash flood emergency is issued for your area, move to higher ground immediately.
- Stay out of flood water. Only 6 inches of flowing water can knock you down.
- Wait for the all clear from local authorities before entering an area previously or still flooded.
- Avoid exposure to any lingering flood water. It could also contain chemicals and toxins, snakes, insects and could mask sharp objects or other debris that could lead to injury.
- You may have to boil water for some time. Check with your local water authority.
- Never use a portable generator inside your home or garage, due to the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.
Jonathan Erdman is a senior meteorologist at weather.com and has been covering national and international weather since 1996. Extreme and bizarre weather are his favorite topics. Reach out to him on Bluesky, X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook.
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Camp Mystic leader may not have seen urgent alert before Texas flood, family spokesman says
The leader of Camp Mystic had been tracking the weather before the deadly Texas floods, but it is now unclear whether he saw an urgent warning from the National Weather Service that had triggered an emergency alert to phones in the area, a spokesman for camp's operators said Wednesday. Richard 'Dick' Eastland, the owner of Camp Mystic, began taking action after more than 2 inches of rain had fallen in the area along the Guadalupe River, said Jeff Carr, a spokesman for the family and the camp. He said Eastland had a 'home weather station' and was monitoring the rain on July 4. But after initially portraying to the media this week that Eastland got the weather alerts about a flash flood, Carr told The Associated Press that critical moment in the timeline of the tragedy isn't as clear as the family and staff first thought. No one in the family or camp staff, Carr said, could now say whether Eastland got the alert at 1:14 a.m. 'It was assumed that just because he had a cellphone on and shortly after that alert, he was calling his family on the walkie-talkies saying, 'Hey, we got two inches in the last hour. We need to get the canoes up. We got things to do,' ' Carr said. The new account by the family comes as Camp Mystic staff has come under scrutiny of their actions, what preventive measures were taken and the camp's emergency plan leading up to a during the catastrophic flood that has killed at least 132 people. The flash-flood warning that the National Weather Service issued at 1:14 a.m. on July 4 for Kerr County triggered an emergency alerts to broadcast outlets, weather radios and mobile phones. It warned of 'a dangerous and life-threatening situation.' The weather service extended the warning at 3:35 a.m. and escalated it to flash-flood emergency at 4:03 a.m. Eastland died while trying to rescue girls and was found in his Tahoe that was swept away by the floodwaters, Carr said. Even without a storm, the cellphone coverage at Camp Mystic is spotty at best, so campers and staff turn on their Wi-Fi, Carr said. He called ridiculous criticism that Eastland waited too long before beginning to evacuate the campers, which he said appears to have begun sometime between 2 a.m. and 2:30 a.m. 'Communication was a huge deficiency,' Carr said. "This community was hamstrung, nobody could communicate. The first responder, the first rescue personnel that showed up was a game warden.' According to Carr, Eastland and others started evacuating girls from cabins nearest the overflowing river and moved them to the camp's two-story recreation hall. Of the 10 cabins closest to the river, the recreation hall is the furthest at 865 feet (264 meters) with the closest cabin about 315 feet (96 meters), according to an Associated Press analysis of aerial imagery. To reach Senior Hill, which was on higher ground , they would have had to cross an overflowing creek, Carr said. At times the young campers were climbing hills in bare feet, he said. Some of the camp's buildings — which flooded — were in what the Federal Emergency Management Agency considered a 100-year flood plain. But in response to an appeal, FEMA in 2013 amended the county's flood map to remove 15 of the camp's buildings from the hazard area. Carr said there were 'legitimate' reasons for filing appeals and suggested that the maps may not always be accurate. Just before daybreak on the Fourth of July, destructive, fast-moving waters rose 26 feet (8 meters) on the Guadalupe River, washing away homes and vehicles. Crews in helicopters, boats and drones have been searching for victims. Officials say 97 people in the Kerrville area may still be missing. ___ Associated Press writer Christopher Keller contributed to this report from Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Washington Post
44 minutes ago
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Camp Mystic leader may not have seen urgent alert before Texas flood, family spokesman says
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Associated Press
44 minutes ago
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Camp Mystic leader may not have seen urgent alert before Texas flood, family spokesman says
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