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Section 1 Purpose and Scope The purpose of this Manual is to provide home owners, residential contractors, and local government officials with procedures for dealing with flood hazards and damages to homes and their contents. Homeowners or occupants must be responsible for taking first actions to reduce damage before and immediately following a flood because most community efforts will be directed toward providing emergency services. There is a need for authoritative guidance concerning (a) what should be done 10 insure personal safety, (b) what emergency procedures should be implemented by the community, (c) what should be done to the damaged structure immediately after the flood to minimize further damage and (d) what should or could be done to minimize damage from future floods. With respect to insuring personal safety, plans must be made well ahead of any emergency to provide citizens with instructions to allow safe evacuation from their homes. They must plan alternate escape routes to allow them safe exit from an impending flood. They must know where they can obtain medical help and where emergency shelter is located. With respect to what the community can do in the emergency, a well organized staff representing all segments of the public works department, fire fighting forces, police, medical and health services should be ready to act in case of an emergency. Members of such a staff should have rehearsed their parts during mock flood emergencies to eliminate duplication of effort, pinpoint inefficiencies and identify overlooked tasks in the program. With respect to immediate post flood actions, certain steps taken as soon as possible after the flood can reduce significantly the damage that would otherwise be experienced, for example, the rapid drying out of a house greatly minimizes decay or delamination of wood. The Mutual Loss Research Bureau reports flood losses are different from other catastrophic losses in that the amount of loss in most instances irreversibly climbs until action is taken. In areas of massive flood damage, shortages of repair materials and labor may occur. Skilled workers are often imported from outside the area at premium wages. Low-skilled workers are pressed into service. Repair equipment and materials may be in short supply because of accelerated demand and flood-caused destruction of local supplies. In these circumstances, incompetent contractors, shoddy workmen, and outright swindlers tend to flourish unless governmental action can be taken to protect consumers. These problems are not as likely to occur in small-scale flood situations. With respect to how future flood damage can be minimized, guidance of a more technical nature is required for implementation after the floods have subsided. It involves long-term repair and rehabilitation of building structural elements, materials, and systems. Implementation of the third and fourth needs usually requires the services of contractors and the approval of the local code bodies. In general, repairs and rehabilitation are made after flooding with available materials and practices allowed by the code. Consequently, the same susceptibility to damage by flooding is continually built back into the structure. Purpose, Scope, and Manual Organization This Manual describes emergency actions to be taken v:hen a flood is imminent, steps for immediate cleanup and repair when reentering a flood damaged home, and preventive measures the home owner can take to reduce losses in a future flood. In addition it contains a discussion of how flood damages are caused. ' Manual Organization Owner I occupants, contractors, and code officials have parts to play before, during, and after a flood. This Manual, directed to all three, tells what can be done to lessen, repair, and prevent flood damages to residences and other structures. Instructions are given for specific tasks. More detailed information is referenced in the text. Some tasks require more skill and experience than possessed by most home owners or occupants. These tasks should be performed by contractors who specialize in these fields. Two examples would be electrical work and plumbing repairs. However, many repairs and preventive measures can be done by home owners and apartment dwellers. Easy-to-understand instructions are given for these. Some measures taken immediately before and after the flood lessen damage, but rt must be remembered there are essential precautions to be taken before undertaking these. Real danger lurks in a structure Ihat has experienced flooding, and some actions could cause more damage than no action at all. Contractors are needed to implement some of the actions givenJn the Manual. Most material given in the text, however, is within the skill limits of occupants. This Manual deals with three distinct time periods: FLOOD EMERGENCY covers the actions that take piace between the lirst flood warning and the subsidence of fiood waters. POST-FLOOD CLEANUP describes the actions required to mitigate flood damage and to return the home to normal condition after initial subsidence of flood waters. PREVENTiVE ACTiONS recommend longer-range measures that can be taken to provide better resistance to future flood damage in existing homes as well as in new construction. In each of these parts, the reader can utilize that part of the Manual referring to the severity of flooding to be expected in his home or locality. These are: LOW LEVEL in which the flood waters are not expec/ed to reach the bottom of basement windows. In other words. the waters are not likely to enter any part of the house or basement unless by leakage through the basement walls and floor. MEDIUM LEVEL flood waters are likely to be higher than the bottom of basement windows but not more than about 2 feet above the ground floor. While the basement and ground IIoor may be flooded, flooding depth is not expected to do major structural damage. NOTE: IF MEDIUM LEVEL flood waters are flowing rapidiy and water depth may cover the ground level, HIGH LEVEL actions should also be considered. HIGH LEVEL water depth is expec/ed to exceed 21eet above the ground floor. Water damage to ground floor furnishings and walls, as well as structural damage, is probable. 1-1