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o Plastic sheeting o Plastic garbage bags, ties (for personal sanitation uses) o Disinfectant o Liquid chlorine bleach o Plastic bucket with tight lid o Wooden stick (to poke and turn things over) o Camera (to record damage) o Aluminum foil o Paper, pencil o Needles, thread CommunIty Adlv"'.. Your neighborhood or commu- nity can take steps to reduce flood losses in the future. Recent flooding may prompt local governments to start a flood planning effort that encourages citizens to partici- pate. If no effort is underway, encourage your community leaders to get a flood protection program started. There are many ways to reduce flood damage. A commu- nity flood protection program should consider a variety of activities. The obvious solution often seems to be "fixing" the shoreline or river through flood control projects such as dredg- ing or seawalls. Unfortunately, these activities may not be effec- tive, feasible, or affordable without state or federal aid. Because flood control projects require so much planning, time, and money, communities should also consider and implement other approaches. Keeping ditches and drainage ways open is one very important step most communities can take. Trash, construction materials, shopping carts, and even grass clippings dumped in a ditch can clog bridges and culverts, and add to water pollution. Neighborhood efforts to keep ditches clean and to report dumpers can make a big differ- ence in the amount of flooding, especially during smaller storms. Report illegal floodplain construction activities (that is, those without a permit posted) to the building department. You can work with your neighbors to monitor stream lev- els or rain gages to give your community or neighborhood advance warning of a flood. It may also be possible to monitor common debris catching sites, such as bridges, and keep the openings clear. Sandbagging Sandbagging can be very expen- sive. If your community wants to establish a plan for sandbagging, you will have to buy sandbags before a flood to be sure you have them on hand. Get burlap or plastic sandbags. Other kinds of bags Simply won't hold up. Burlap or plastic bags cost 25 to 50 cents each. Sand and plastic sheeting must also be stock- piled. Sandbagging can also be very time consuming. It takes 2 peo- ple about an hour to fill and place 100 sandbags, giving you a wall only a foot high and 20 feet long. If you skimp on the bags, you risk putting up a wall that will be knocked over. When a flood is coming, everyone wants to sandbag, usu- ally because they don't know what else to do. While it does 5'( --____Ic Prepare for the Next Flood P Community Flood Protection Activities Y OUf community can take a number of steps to minimize damage from floods, such as purchasing flood. prone buildings, setting regulations for building in floodplains and for storm water management, and pre- serving open space. Depending on the location of your community, pro- jects such as channel and basin maintenance; construction of levees, floodwalls, seawalls, reservoirs, or detention basins; dredging and other channel improvements; and water- shed run-off controls such as terracing may be appropriate. Services such as floodproofing assis- tance and a flood warning system can lower the risk that people or property will be damaged, as can community preparedness and evacu- ation plans. 49