Flood Emergency Kit + Preparedness Checklist

Build your flood emergency kit

A flood kit has two jobs. It has to leave the house with you in a few minutes if you are told to evacuate, and it has to keep your documents dry whether you leave or not. Everything below fits in a go-bag and one waterproof container that sit together near the door you would actually use. Tap each item to check it off; progress is saved on this device.

Flood response: before the season through cleanup

Some floods build slowly over days. Flash floods generally develop within 6 hours of the rain that causes them, and cities are especially prone to them because pavement does not let water soak in. The timeline below works for both; the difference is how fast you move from one step to the next. For the long-form version of each stage, see our complete flood preparedness and recovery guide.

1. 1

   Before the rainy season

   Look up your flood zone on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center and check whether water collects on the roads you use most. Buy or renew flood insurance well ahead of any storm, since a new policy usually takes 30 days to take effect. Pack the kit above, keep documents in a waterproof container, and pick two routes to higher ground.

2. 2

   When a flood watch is issued

   A watch means conditions are favorable for flooding. Charge phones and battery packs, move the go-bag and documents to the door, bring pets inside, and move valuables off the lowest floor. Keep the NOAA Weather Radio on and be ready to act if a warning is issued.

3. 3

   When a flood or flash flood warning is issued

   A warning means flooding is happening or about to happen. If you are in a flood-prone or low-lying area, get to higher ground now. If you are told to evacuate, leave immediately and lock your home behind you. Do not drive into flooded roads or around barricades: Turn Around, Don’t Drown.

4. 4

   If water reaches you

   Move to higher ground or a higher floor. If you are trapped in a building, go to the highest level, but not into a closed attic where rising water can trap you. Stay out of floodwater, and stay off bridges over fast-moving water. If your car is caught in rapidly moving water, stay inside; if water rises inside the car, get on the roof.

5. 5

   After the water goes down

   Return only when authorities say it is safe. Make sure the electrical system is off before you step into standing water, and do not touch wet electrical equipment. Photograph and video all damage before cleaning or throwing anything out. Start drying and cleaning within 24 to 48 hours to limit mold, and run generators only outside, more than 20 feet from windows, doors, and vents.

Turn Around, Don't Drown: how little water it takes

The National Weather Service's flood safety message fits on a road sign because it has to: Turn Around, Don't Drown. Most flash flood deaths happen when people drive into flood water, and from behind the wheel you cannot see whether the road under the water has collapsed.

These are the NWS figures. Two of its pages put the threshold for large vehicles slightly differently, so both are shown.

• Never drive into water of unknown depth, and never drive around a barricade.
• Do not walk or swim through flood water. Six inches of moving water is enough to take your feet out from under you.
• Stay off bridges over fast-moving water. Fast-moving water can wash a bridge away without warning.
• Be especially careful at night, when it is harder to recognize flood dangers on the road ahead.

Flood watch vs. warning vs. flash flood emergency

These are the main flood alerts the National Weather Service issues, and each one asks something different of you. A watch usually covers several counties; a warning is usually a smaller, more specific area. The short version: advisory means be aware, watch means be prepared, warning means take action.

Special cases: basements, cars, manufactured homes, and the people who need help

Flood insurance basics

Flood insurance is the one part of flood preparedness with a hard deadline, and it is the part most households learn about after the fact. Four things to know:

• Homeowners insurance generally does not cover floods. Flood coverage is a separate policy, most often through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).
• There is a 30-day waiting period. An NFIP policy normally goes into effect 30 days after purchase. The exceptions are narrow: no wait when the policy is bought as part of a mortgage transaction or a coverage change at renewal, and a one-day wait in some cases after an area is newly mapped into a high-risk zone, or for a flood caused or worsened by a wildfire on federal land when the policy is bought within 60 days of the fire's containment.
• Building and contents are separate coverages. Building coverage protects the structure and built-in systems such as the furnace, water heater, and electrical system. Contents coverage protects belongings such as clothing, furniture, and electronics. Check that your policy has both if you need both.
• Renters can buy flood coverage too. A contents-only policy protects your belongings even though the building is not yours.

FloodSmart.gov, the NFIP's own site, has the current limits and a way to find an agent. If you are outside a mapped high-risk zone, ask about coverage anyway: the NFIP says there is still a risk of flooding in areas with low or moderate flood risk.

After the flood: getting back in safely

The cleanup has hazards of its own. Go back only when authorities say it is safe, and work through these in order. Our first-48-hours recovery checklist goes deeper on each.

Wireless emergency alerts (WEA) for floods

The National Weather Service sends flash flood warnings to phones as Wireless Emergency Alerts, but only when the damage threat is considerable or catastrophic. That means a flash flood warning can be in effect for your area without your phone making a sound, and ordinary flood watches and warnings do not go out as WEA at all. When a WEA does arrive, it comes with a special tone and vibration, both repeated twice.

No signup is required, but alerts can be switched off in phone settings, so check every phone in the house:

• iPhone: Settings → Notifications → scroll to Government Alerts and turn on the emergency alert categories.
• Android: Settings → Notifications → Wireless Emergency Alerts and turn on every category.

Because WEA covers only the most severe flash flood warnings, pair it with a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert and with local alerts from your county or city. BeAware adds a third layer by monitoring the NWS flood alerts for your specific address.

Flood preparedness FAQ

Sources

The safety guidance on this page follows the National Weather Service, Ready.gov, FEMA and the National Flood Insurance Program, and the CDC. Where our wording differs from theirs, theirs is correct.

• Turn Around Don’t Drown — National Weather Service

  Supports: the water-depth table ("A mere 6 inches of fast-moving flood water can knock over an adult"; "It takes just 12 inches of rushing water to carry away most cars"; "2 feet of rushing water can carry away SUVs and trucks") and the hidden-road warning ("The road may have collapsed under that water").

• Flood Safety: During a Flood — National Weather Service

  Supports: getting to higher ground if you live in a flood-prone area or are camping in a low-lying area; evacuating immediately when told and locking your home; not driving into flooded roads or around barricades; and the vehicle figures ("12 inches of water can float a car or small SUV, 18 inches of water can carry away large vehicles"; "It only takes 6 inches of moving water to knock you off your feet").

• Flood Watch vs. Warning — National Weather Service

  Supports: the alert table and FAQ: a Flood Advisory ("Be Aware"), a Flood Watch "when conditions are favorable" ("Be Prepared"), a Flood Warning when the event "is imminent or already happening" ("Take Action!"), and a Flash Flood Warning "when a flash flood is imminent or occurring" (move to higher ground).

• Flood Related Products — National Weather Service

  Supports: that a Flash Flood Warning covers flash flooding "in progress, imminent, or highly likely", and that a Flood Advisory is issued when an event "warrants notification but is less urgent than a warning."

• Severe Weather Awareness: Flood Safety — National Weather Service, Mobile/Pensacola office

  Supports: the Flash Flood Emergency definition ("issued for the exceedingly rare situations when extremely heavy rain is leading to a severe threat to human life and catastrophic damage from a flash flood is happening or will happen soon"); that "Most flash flood deaths occur when people drive their vehicles into flood waters"; "If your vehicle stalls, abandon it immediately and seek higher ground"; and "Be especially cautious at night as it is harder to recognize flood dangers."

• Flood Hazards — National Weather Service

  Supports: that "Flash floods generally develop within 6 hours of the immediate cause", and that urban areas are especially prone to flash floods because concrete and asphalt do not let water soak in.

• Flood Safety: Before a Flood — National Weather Service

  Supports: checking whether your home is in a floodplain and where water collects on the roads you travel; that "standard homeowners insurance doesn’t cover flooding"; knowing the fastest way to higher ground; the kit items (rubber boots, rubber gloves, NOAA Weather Radio, flashlights, first aid kit); and taking pets with you or boarding them well away from the flooding.

• Flood Safety: After a Flood — National Weather Service

  Supports: not entering a flood-damaged home until authorities give the all clear; making sure the electrical system is off and having a qualified electrician fix wires; that "Floodwaters often become contaminated with sewage or chemicals"; boil-water notices; and that "Carbon monoxide poisoning is one of the leading causes of death after storms when areas are dealing with power outages."

• Flood Safety (Flooding page) — National Weather Service

  Supports: that "Flooding is a coast-to-coast threat to some part of the United States and its territories nearly every day of the year."

• Weather warnings on the go! (Wireless Emergency Alerts) — National Weather Service

  Supports: that flash flood warnings are sent as WEA "only when the damage threat is considerable or catastrophic"; that "No signup is required"; and that WEA messages "include a special tone and vibration, both repeated twice."

• Floods — Ready.gov

  Supports: that homeowner’s policies do not cover flooding and that a policy "typically takes up to 30 days" to take effect; the FEMA Flood Map Service Center; documents in a waterproof container with password-protected digital copies; "Just six inches of moving water can knock you down, and one foot of moving water can sweep your vehicle away"; going to the highest level if trapped but not into a closed attic; staying in a car trapped in rapidly moving water and getting on the roof if water rises inside; staying off bridges over fast-moving water; not touching wet electrical equipment; snakes and other animals in the house; generators only outdoors; and cleanup protective gear.

• Build A Kit — Ready.gov

  Supports: one gallon of water per person per day for several days, a several-day supply of non-perishable food, and the core kit items (NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert, flashlight, first aid kit, whistle, moist towelettes and garbage bags, wrench or pliers to turn off utilities, manual can opener, local maps, phone chargers and a backup battery).

• Prepare Your Pets for Disasters — Ready.gov

  Supports: that "If local officials ask you to evacuate, that means your pet should evacuate too"; that many public shelters and hotels do not allow pets inside; and the pet kit contents.

• People with Disabilities — Ready.gov

  Supports: building a support network, planning accessible transportation for evacuation, asking your power company about priority restoration for powered medical equipment, and local voluntary registries for people who may need help in an emergency.

• Fact Sheet: FEMA Manufactured Housing Units and Severe Weather — FEMA

  Supports: the manufactured-home guidance, written for residents of FEMA’s temporary units: "Never take shelter in an MHU during high winds, a tornado, a hurricane or a flood"; "If a flash flood warning is issued, immediately evacuate and move to higher ground"; and planning multiple routes to several safe shelters.

• FEMA Flood Map Service Center — FEMA

  Supports: that the official public flood hazard maps for the NFIP can be searched by address.

• What Is My Flood Risk? — FloodSmart.gov (National Flood Insurance Program)

  Supports: the flood zone letters (high-risk areas A or V; moderate-to-lower risk B, C, and X); that "Nearly one-third of NFIP flood insurance claims (29%) came from areas located outside of current high-risk flood areas" (2014-2024); and "There is still a risk of flooding in areas with low or moderate flood risk."

• Buy a Flood Insurance Policy — FloodSmart.gov (National Flood Insurance Program)

  Supports: that "Your flood insurance coverage will go into effect 30 days after your date of purchase" and the listed exceptions (mortgage transactions, renewal changes, newly mapped high-risk zones, post-wildfire flooding); building versus contents coverage; and the renter’s contents-only option.

• Document Flood Damage — FloodSmart.gov (National Flood Insurance Program)

  Supports: photographing and filming damage "before cleaning, fixing or throwing them out", recording serial numbers, keeping small samples of damaged materials, and that "Mold can start forming within 24-48 hours of flooding."

• About Mold — Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

  Supports: drying out and cleaning your home fully within 24 to 48 hours after a flood; the bleach ratio ("no more than 1 cup of household laundry bleach in 1 gallon of water"); "Never mix bleach with ammonia or other cleaners"; and the higher risk to people who are immune-compromised or have chronic lung disease.

• Homeowners and Renters Guide to Mold Cleanup After Disasters — CDC, with EPA, FEMA, HUD, and NIH

  Supports: the protective gear: "Wear an N-95 respirator at a minimum, goggles, and protective gloves."

• Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Basics — Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

  Supports: the generator rules: never inside a home or garage "even if doors and windows are open", "more than 20 feet away from any windows, doors, and vents", and a battery-powered or battery-backup CO detector.

• Keep Food Safe After a Disaster or Emergency — Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

  Supports: throwing out food that may have touched floodwater, food in packages that are not waterproof, and home-canned or damaged cans; cleaning and sanitizing undamaged commercial cans and pouches; and "When in doubt, throw it out!"

Deep dives from our article library

These articles go deeper on the parts of flood preparedness that need their own treatment.

Complete Flood Preparedness and Recovery Guide

The long-form companion to this checklist: how floods develop, what protects a household, and the recovery steps in order.

Flood Recovery Checklist: First 48 Hours After Waters Recede

A step-by-step list for the first two days back: electrical and structural checks, water safety, and what to document first.

How to Waterproof Your Basement Before Flood Season

What to fix below grade before the rainy season, and how to weigh the cost of prevention against a repair.

Flood Damage Cleanup: DIY vs Professional Restoration

Which cleanup jobs a household can handle safely, and when contamination or hidden moisture calls for a professional.