March 16 to 22 is National Flood Safety Week

Floods can occur anywhere in the world at any time and are one of the most common weather hazards in the United States. Floods can affect any part of Florida and some can occur within a matter of minutes. Flood effects can be local, impacting a neighborhood or community, or very large, affecting entire river basins and multiple states. Since we are all vulnerable to the dangers of flooding, it is important to learn about the different types of floods, where you can get flood information and what you can do to protect yourself, your family and your business in case flood conditions threaten your area.

The National Weather Service and state emergency management officials encourage residents to update their preparedness plans during National Flood Safety Awareness Week, March 16 to 22, 2014.

At the National Weather Service (NWS), hydrologists team up with meteorologists to produce the best river and flood forecasts and warnings possible. These forecasts can be one of the first places to go to learn about the overall flood danger for your area. They are available on the internet and show maps of river forecast points which are color coded for certain river level heights. Specific site forecasts are displayable in graphs. These hydrographs show past, current and forecast river stage levels along with flood potential information. These forecasts from the Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service (AHPS) can be found at http://www.water.weather.gov/ and are very useful if you live along or near a river that has the potential to flood.

The Southeast River Forecast Center (SERFC) is responsible for the production of river forecasts for all rivers that drain into the Atlantic Ocean along the coasts of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida, as well as the rivers that drain into the Gulf of Mexico from Mobile Bay to southern Florida. At the SERFC website, http://www.srh.noaa.gov/serfc/, you can find five day forecasts for almost 100 specific river locations in the Southeast U.S. You will also find Doppler radar estimates of rainfall and rainfall forecasts, plus anything else you may be interested in that relates to hydrometeorology, or a science that is a combination of meteorology and hydrology that studies the transfer of water and energy between the land surface and the lower atmosphere. The SERFC is one of the most useful places to go to learn about the hydrology of and current hydrologic situation in Florida.

A couple of the most helpful tools on the SERFC website are the 48 Hour Outlook and the 5-Day Flood Outlook. These forecasts provide you with a general outlook for significant river flooding. It is not intended to depict all small-scale events such as localized flooding and/or flash flooding, and this graphic will not show minor river flooding. Your local NWS office will be able to provide you with a more detailed outlook for your location if you are interested in the minor flooding potential. SERFC also provides weekly briefing videos and will also provide a briefing on freshwater flood potential or storm surge up rivers during tropical events.

If you know that rain is in the forecast for your area and are interested in learning how much rain you may receive, the SEFRC provides forecasts for precipitation amounts. Conversely, if a significant rainfall event recently occurred, and you are interested in learning how much rain fell during the storm, you can see the observed rainfall amounts from AHPS on the SERFC website. You can view the rainfall amounts from the past 24 hours, the past week, the past two weeks and so on.

Flood Inundation Mapping

The ability to look days into the future to see how many city blocks and roads might be flooded is becoming clearer with flood inundation mapping. The National Weather Service and NOAA’ s National Ocean Service, are collaborating with the USGS, USACE, FEMA and other partners to develop inundation maps for inland freshwater flooding. Sets of maps, referred to as libraries, are being developed which include map layers depicting the spatial extent and depth of water for various flood levels ranging from minor flooding all the way through the flood of record in the vicinity of NWS river forecast locations. Combined with traditional NWS river forecasts, these flood maps show the areas of likely inundation based on current conditions and river forecasts. Maps are produced using geographic information systems, GIS, and datasets created in the production of FEMA’s flood insurance rate maps. These libraries are accessible through the AHPS web site.

These few products are just a sample of the tools you can find from AHPS and SERFC that will help you be better prepared for a flood. We encourage everyone to take a look at these websites and learn about the different products that are offered before a flood threatens your area. If you live along or near a river, you should also pay attention to the forecast, especially in times of significant rain. It takes time to prepare for river flooding, so get a head start by being alert to the forecasts and the products that will help you understand your risk.

This week we ask that you “Be a Force of Nature” by knowing your risk, taking action and being an example where you live. Following these simple steps year round can help keep you and your loved ones safe when hazardous weather strikes. Keep tabs on the local forecast, create a disaster supplies kit, and alert others via texts and social media when a flood threat or other hazardous weather threat exists!

Escambia County residents are encouraged to visit BeReadyEscambia.com for tips on being prepared for various weather events, shelter information, animal preparedness and more.