Statistically, floods are the most devastating natural disasters, because they cause more death and destruction than any other single event.  They can also be confusing to deal with, because a flood can be spawned by a number of different causes. 

• A flashflood can arrive suddenly and unannounced as a result of a thunderstorm that is happening (or happened hours ago) many miles away, upstream or upslope, where the rain collects into natural channels and gathers strength as it roars downhill toward your location. You might be standing under blue sky when the flood arrives like an out-of-control freight train.

• Inland flooding along a coastal region can arrive as a secondary disaster that was caused by a hurricane or a tsunami that drives sea water miles inland.

• Relatively slow flooding can develop along waterways when snow melts or heavy rain occurs upstream. This type of flood is subject to sudden outbursts when ice jams or debris that has collected at choke points suddenly gives way, releasing a torrent.

• Structural failure, such as a dam break, can suddenly release a flood that can wipe out the area downstream.

Regardless of the cause of the flood, the best way to survive the event is to be somewhere else. That may sound overly simplistic, but it’s true nonetheless. And this leads to my number one rule for surviving a flood: Practice situational awareness. Look around and study the lay of the land, and ask yourself some questions. What’s upstream of your location? Is this season prone to sudden rainstorms? If water suddenly came rushing into the area, where would you go to save yourself?

And that leads us to my Top Ten ways to survive a flood.