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<br />2. Flood Warnings. As a flood proceeds downstream, gages report <br />heights to central offices. Agencies like the Weather Service <br />and the Division of Water Resources follow these reports to <br />predict when and where a river will leave its banks. Residents <br />and local officials can be given several hours to several days <br />advance notice of how high the flood can be expected to go <br />("crest"). The bigger the river, the more accurate the predic- <br />tion and the more warning time there is. <br /> <br />3. Flash Flood Watches and Warnings. Along the smaller streams, <br />floods are caused by heavy local rains. In steep mountainous <br />areas, the rain runs off very fast. Little streams are con- <br />verted into raging torrents with great destructive potential. <br />While there are not many mountainous areas in Illinois, flash <br />floods do occur along bluff lines and in urban areas. <br /> <br />In urban areas, rain quickly runs off roofs, parking lots, and <br />streets. Gutters and storm sewers hasten this water to the <br />rivers. Heavy rains do create flash flood conditions in many <br />urban areas of Illinois. You may not get a raging torrent <br />but waters will rise quickly. <br /> <br />To deal with flash floods, the Weather Service issues flash <br />flood watches when ground and rain conditions threaten urban <br />and mountainous areas. If radar, rain gages, and local observers <br />report that a flash flood is very likely or is occurring, a flash <br />flood warning is issued. Your city may also sound a siren or <br />other local warning. You should check with your city hall to see <br />what system is used. <br /> <br />A FLASH FLOOD WATCH MEANS CHECK <br />YOUR PROTECTION SYSTEMS, KEEP <br />INFORMED, AND BE READY FOR <br />IMMEDIATE ACTION IF A FLASH <br />FLOOD WARNING IS RELEASED. <br /> <br />A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS TAKE <br />IMMEDIATE ACTION IF YOU ARE IN A <br />FLOODPLAIN: IMPLEMENT YOUR <br />EVACUATION PLAN. <br /> <br />Reacting to the Warning: Whether you have several weeks or only a few <br />mlnutes after the warning is issued, you should be prepared to react. <br />The next section deals with specific steps that should be taken. We <br />want to underline an important point here: The biggest problem in <br />issuing warnings of danger is that people do not react. Here are some <br />common responses: <br /> <br />34 <br />