Life or Death Decisions: What to Do When Flash Flood Waters Surround You

When flash flood waters are already rushing around your home or rising up your legs, the decisions you make in the next few minutes could determine whether you live or die. Panic makes people do dangerous things, but knowing the right choices ahead of time can save your life when terror takes over.

Inside Your Home: Stay or Go?

When water starts entering your house, your first instinct might be to get outside. Sometimes that's right, sometimes it's deadly wrong.

DO: If water is just starting to seep in and you can safely reach higher ground outside, evacuate immediately. Get to the highest point you can find.

DON'T: Try to evacuate if water outside is already knee-deep or moving fast. Once water reaches that level, attempting to walk through it often ends in drowning.