Keeping flood water out of your home requires an investment of time and money. You don't want to make that investment when your property is not going to flood, or when your home is going to see floods deeper than 3 feet. If you take these emergency steps to protect your property, or move your insured contents to protect then from floods, keep your receipts and the number of hours you and your family worked to protect your property. You may be able to claim these expenses on your flood insurance policy. See "Flood Insurance Provides Coverage for Emergency Protective Measures."
When officials know what the flood levels will be in certain areas, that information will be broadcast on TV and radio, and perhaps put out on websites. You may be able to get an estimate from your parish emergency manager. If you have that flood level you can compare it to your ground elevation to see about how deep the water will get. The LSU AgCenter has two mapping sites that will give you your ground elevation. Read "Using Interactive Maps to Find Ground Elevation"
Flood Flight Technique or Tool |
Link |
Using Panels as Closures in Flood Protection | Panels |
Using Sandbags for Flood Protection | Sandbags |
Using Water-inflated Barriers in Flood Protection | Water-inflated Barriers |
Preventing Backflow | Preventing Backflow |
Flood Wraps and Temporary Shields | Flood Wraps & Shields |
Using Pumps in Flood Protection | Pumps |
These publications are part of a larger series of articles and videos on permanent and temporary flood damage prevention methods available at Preventing Flood Damage .
The LSU AgCenter flood mitigation fact sheets and videos were developed as part of programs funded by FEMA's Hazard Mitigation Grant Program from Hurricane Andrew and the May 1995 floods in southeast Louisiana. The materials date from the mid- to late 1990s. The videos were produced on tape and later digitized.
Emergency Protection from Rising WaterThe LSU AgCenter and the LSU College of Agriculture