How to Prepare for a Flood

I had a vague idea about what would happen in an emergency. I figured adrenaline would kick in, and I would have the sense to know what to do. When Hurricane Harvey came, I managed to throw on some clothes and save my laptop. That's it.

This year, the importance of a hurricane kit and emergency plan has become that much greater. Preparation couldn't have saved our house and everything in it, but it could have saved so many of my precious things that were lost. And we could have spent our first couple of days as refugees in relative comfort in our own, clean clothes.

Here is how we have prepared this year:

1.) I packed a watertight backpack with all the essentials I needed in the hours after evacuating:

two days of clothes, mobile phone charger, first aid kit, plastic bags to protect phone and wallet, poncho, flashlight, toiletries. I included phone numbers to our insurance providers and other emergency contacts. Remember that you may not be using your own phone, so your contacts won't be available to you. I used to think people who had this sort of bag at-the-ready were a little ridiculous. Now I know better. It's the easiest, best thing you can do right now and can be useful in a lot of situations.

2.) Think through how you will deal with your pets if you have them.

This was a major problem for us, with two dogs and three cats. We now have enough pet carriers for all our pets (most of us just have one for vet visits, but that won't be enough if you have many pets). Figure out how you're going to transport them in an emergency.

3.) Hurricanes take days to arrive.

We should have spent those days moving stuff off the floor, finding all of our important papers, etc. Next time, you can bet there will be nothing on the floor except heavy furniture.

4.) Locate all of your important papers today.

Take photos of them, and store those photos somewhere safe. Put the papers in a safe place up high, sealed away from as many elements as possible. You can get a fireproof, waterproof bag for less than $20.

5.) We could have saved ourselves some insurance hassle by already having all the serial numbers for our appliances in one place.

If you're serious about this, take photos of your largest and most expensive house items and store them in the cloud. Keep a house inventory. If the worst happens, you won't have to spend days scrambling to track down or remember everything.

6.) Move your car to a high spot in your neighborhood well before the storm arrives.

I should have parked mine at my parking garage at work. I bet many car losses could have been avoided during Harvey.

7.) Talk through scenarios with your family.

Imagine the hurdles. What will you save if you have two days to prepare? What about 30 minutes? Where will you go if you have to leave? How will you get there? We knew we should have done this given how close we live to a bayou, but we kept putting it off. I regret that.

8.) Maybe the most important advice I can give is to get to know your neighbors today.

When things get grim, it doesn't matter how different you are or what political sign you have that is now submerged in water. They will help you if you need help, and you will help them. We only knew of a place to evacuate to in our neighborhood because my husband chats with everyone when he walks our dog. He learned where to go during a flood because of that.

A disastrous flood will happen again in Houston. If the worst doesn't happen to you, it will happen to a family member or friend. I can't make you prepare any more than the city officials who plead every hurricane season, but I hope you will.

Sara Cress (@saracress) is a writer in Houston.

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