# Floods

> 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.

## Passo a passo
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.

## Nunca faça isto
- 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.

## Ligue para a emergência se
- 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.

## Números de emergência
112 - Número europeu de emergência

## Perguntas frequentes
### 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.

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Source: https://emergency-cards.com/pt/cheias/
Reviewed: 2026-07-26