NATIONAL FLOOD SAFETY PREPAREDNESS WEEK! BE PREPARED WITH AN EMERGENCY PLAN TO KEEP YOUR FAMILY AND PROPERTY PROTECTED.

Floods are the most common — and costliest — natural disaster in the nation affecting every state and territory. A flood occurs somewhere in the United States or its territories nearly every day of the year. Flood Safety Awareness Week is an opportunity to learn about flood risk and take action to prepare your home and family.

Know Your Risk: The first step to becoming weather-ready is to understand that flooding can happen anywhere and affect where you live and work, and how the weather could impact you and your family. Sign up for weather alerts and check the weather forecast regularly at weather.gov. Now is the time to be prepared by ensuring you have real-time access to flood warnings via mobile devices, weather radio and local media, and avoiding areas that are under these warnings.

Visit ready.gov/alerts to learn about public safety alerts and visitfloodsmart.gov to learn about your flood risk and flood insurance available.

• Take Action: Make sure you and your family members are prepared for floods. You may not be together when weather strikes, so plan how you will contact one another by developing your family communication plan. Flood insurance is also an important consideration: just a few inches of water inside a home can cost tens of thousands of dollars in damage that typically will not be covered by a standard homeowner’s insurance policy. Visit Ready.gov/prepare and NOAA to learn more actions you can take to be better prepared and important safety and weather information.

• Be an Example: Once you have taken action, tell family, friends, and co-workers to do the same. Technology today makes it easier than ever to be a good example and to share the steps you took to become weather-ready.