Are you ready for a flood?

For most of us, a flood might not seem to be a real threat, but keep in mind: there are over 300 miles of coastline and hundreds of miles of rivers in Rhode Island, making the Ocean State vulnerable to the whims of storms and heavy rains.
Preparation is the key when dealing with a flood or any other natural disaster. Project Impact has prepared a list of preparation tips that should keep you, your loved ones, and your property as safe as possible during a flood.

• Learn about your area’s flood risk.
• Talk to your insurance agent.
• Develop an evacuation plan.
• Keep insurance policies, documents,
  and other valuables in a safe deposit box.
• Avoid building in a flood plain unless
  you elevate and reinforce your home.
• Raise your furnace, water heater, and
  electric panel to higher floors if they are
  in areas of your home that may flood.
• Install check valves in building sewer
  traps to prevent floodwater from backing up
  the drains of your home.
• Seal walls in basements with water-
  proofing compounds to avoid seepage
  through cracks.

Flood Safety

• Stay out of areas subject to flooding.
• f outdoors, climb to high ground and
  stay there.
• If you come upon a flowing stream where
  water is above your ankles, stop, turn
  around and go another way.

 Project Impact preparing
Rhode Island for disasters

Local communities take lead in readying
R.I. citizens and businesses for disaster...

For years, people have felt there was nothing they could do in the face of surging floodwaters or the 140 mile-an-hour winds of a hurricane. The mindset was to let the storm take its toll and then work to rebuild the community following the devastation.
Recently, that philosophy has undergone a dramatic change with goverment and non-profit relief organizations combining their resources to encourage businesses and citizens to help reduce the effects of natural disasters.
The result is Project Impact, an initiative developed by James Lee Witt, director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
This initiative includes a national awareness campaign, the selection of pilot communities that demonstrate the benefits of hazard mitigation through a partnership approach, and an outreach effort to businesses and communities using a new book that offers guidelines to follow to become disaster-resistant.
Some Rhode Island cities have become early partners in the Project Impact campaign, with more expected to soon follow suit. Warwick, Providence, and Pawtucket were the first three local cities to join with Project Impact to better educate the people in their communities.
While Rhode Island has been fortunate to sidestep most natural disasters over the last few years, history tells us that we are vulnerable to potentially devastating occurences. Hurricanes have taken hundreds of human lives and caused hundreds of millions of dollars of damage this century in Rhode Island.
Hazard mitigation and preparedness is everyone’s business. It is only through a partnership between government, businesses, and the private sector that Project Impact will succeed. Thank you for joining us in this crucial initiative that will save lives and property in Rhode Island in the event that disaster strikes our state.