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Being "Red Cross Ready" is one way to ensure those you care about are prepared for an emergency. If you have one, be sure to follow your emergency plan. You may not be together when disaster strikes, so you should have an emergency plan in place with ways to contact and meet up with family members.
Back to topFlood prep resources
- FEMA: Protect your home from flooding
- Managing septic systems
- Maintaining safe drinking water in private drinking wells
Preparing for a flood
- CDC: Preparing for floods
- Ready Iowa: Build an emergency kit
- Ready.gov: Basic emergency supply kit checklist
Flood fighting: how to use sandbags
Volunteering
- Volunteer Iowa: Register as a disaster volunteer
- Volunteer through Iowa Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster
How to prepare your home
There are steps that can be taken to minimize the damages caused to a home by a flood.
Understanding the evacuation process
Back to topPreparing for elderly, children, & pets
Children
Seniors
Disabilities
Pets
Back to topHow to stay informed
Tips on getting smartphone alerts
- iOS
- Android
- Emergency Alert System
- NOAA - National Water Prediction Service
- USGS - Water Alert service sends e-mail or text (SMS) messages when parameters measured at a USGS real-time gage exceeds user-defined thresholds.
- NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards is a nationwide network of radio stations broadcasting continuous weather information.
State and federal government agencies
In the event of a national threat, information is provided on the websites of numerous agencies.
- Iowa Dept. of Homeland Security & Emergency Management
- Iowa Department of Natural Resources
- USACE Omaha District
- USGS - Central Midwest Water Science Center
- NWS - Des Moines, Iowa