Emergency Cards EN

International

Floods

Reviewed

Use at your own risk. Educational and research use only, not medical advice. Verify numbers and rules for the country you are in. They change. Before you rely on these cards in practice, review them with a medical professional or a fire safety specialist. Disclaimer

Do this first

Move to higher ground now and stay out of moving water.

Most flood deaths happen in vehicles. Thirty centimetres of moving water floats a car, and fifteen centimetres knocks an adult off their feet. Water hides holes, currents and open manholes.

Step by step

  1. Move upstairs or to higher ground as soon as a warning is issued. Do not wait for the water to arrive.
  2. Switch off electricity, gas and water at the mains if you can reach them dry and safely.
  3. Take documents, medication, a charged phone, a power bank and drinking water with you.
  4. Follow official alerts from the civil protection service and the local authority, not social media.
  5. If you are driving and the road ahead is flooded, turn round and find another route.
  6. If water is rising inside a building, go up, but never into a windowless attic with no way out to the roof.
  7. Do not go home until the authorities confirm the building and the electricity are safe.

Never do this

  • Do not drive or walk through moving water, however shallow it looks.
  • Do not touch switches or appliances with wet hands, or while standing in water.
  • Do not drink tap water after a flood until the authorities confirm it is safe.

Call emergency services if

  • Anyone trapped by rising water, in a vehicle or a building.
  • A person swept away, or anyone missing during a flood.
  • Any collapse, gas smell or electrical arcing in a flooded building.

Common questions

How deep is too deep to drive?

Any moving water. Ten centimetres of fast water can push a small car sideways, and you cannot see the road surface underneath it.

What belongs in a flood bag?

Documents in a waterproof bag, a week of medication, a torch, a power bank, water, food, dry clothes, cash, and phone numbers written on paper.

Next cards

Sources and standards

Use at your own risk. Educational and research use only, not medical advice. Verify numbers and rules for the country you are in. They change. Before you rely on these cards in practice, review them with a medical professional or a fire safety specialist.