Flooding
Flooding can occur after heavy storms, prolonged rainfall, or events like snowmelt, coastal storms, or dam overflows. It may develop slowly or strike suddenly, with flash floods often coming without warning. Floods can cause power outages, damage buildings, trigger landslides, or even result in a loss of life. To stay safe, update your emergency kit, create an emergency plan, help neighbors prepare, gather sandbags if needed, and sign up for Humboldt Alert emergency alerts. Planning ahead can make all the difference.
River Observation and Forecast Map
The river observation and forecast map is created by the National Weather Service's Office of Water Prediction.
View the River Gauge Observation and Forecasts map in your browser.
- Find safe shelter right away.
- Do not walk, swim or drive through flood waters. Turn Around, Don’t Drown!
- Just six inches of moving water can knock you down, and one foot of moving water can sweep your vehicle away.
- Stay off bridges over fast-moving water.
- Depending on the type of flooding:
- Evacuate if told to do so.
- Move to higher ground or a higher floor.
- Stay where you are.
Know Your Zone
Genasys Protect is an online interactive mapping platform that can be used by residents to determine their evacuation zone and access emergency information. The county is divided into 300+ numerical evacuation zones. We strongly encourage residents to "Know Your Zone" before the next emergency by visiting protect.genasys.com.
During an evacuation, our alerts will reference zone names. While we will aim to include local landmarks, character limits on emergency alerts may prevent us from fully detailing zone boundaries. Additional information will be provided following emergency alerts, utilizing our Current Emergencies page, press releases, and social media posts.
We also recommend downloading the Genasys Protect App on your phone. The app allows you to save specific locations and receive alerts if the status of your selected zone changes. With location services enabled, you’ll also be notified if you enter a zone under a protective order - whether in Del Norte, Humboldt County, Mendocino or any other county using Genasys evacuation zones. Notifications will appear as push alerts via the app. Download the Genasys Protect App for your phone today.
Know the Terms
- Evacuation Order: Immediate threat to life. This is a lawful order to leave now. The area is lawfully closed to public access.
- Evacuation Warning: Potential threat to life and/or property. Those who require additional time to evacuate, and those with pets and livestock should leave now.
- Shelter in Place: Go indoors. Shut and lock doors and windows. Prepare to self-sustain until further notice and/or contacted by emergency personnel for additional direction.
- Sign up for Humboldt Alert emergency notifications.
- Know Your Risk for Floods: Visit FEMA’s Flood Map Service Center to know types of flood risk in your area. If flash flooding is a risk in your location, then monitor potential signs, such as heavy rain.
- Clean out gutters and drains to keep water moving away from your home.
- Make an emergency plan for your household, including your pets, so that you and your household know what to do, where to go, and what you will need to protect yourselves from flooding.
- Learn and practice evacuation routes, shelter in place plans, and flash flood response.
- Have your emergency kit ready to sustain you and your household for at least 2 weeks.
- Have extra batteries on hand and a backup power source to keep your devices charged during a potential outage. Also, remember to keep your devices and other critical equipment charged.
- Purchase or renew a flood insurance policy. It typically takes up to 30 days for a policy to go into effect and can protect the life you’ve built. Homeowner’s policies do not cover flooding. Get flood coverage under the National Flood Insurance Program.
- Keep important documents in a waterproof container and create a password-protected digital copies.
- Check in with neighbors who may need assistance getting ready and evacuating.
- Do not walk, swim or drive through flood waters. Turn Around, Don’t Drown!
- Remember, just six inches of moving water can knock you down, and one foot of moving water can sweep your vehicle away.
- For your safety, do not drive or walk through flooded locations and areas with downed trees. These are places where there may be downed power lines. Always assume downed power lines are energized and dangerous. Call 9-1-1 to report downed lines.
- Never drive around barricades. Local responders use them to safely direct traffic out of flooded areas or if roads are blocked or closed due to collapsed pavement or debris.
- Stay off bridges over fast-moving water.
- Stay inside your car if it is trapped in rapidly moving water. Get on the roof if water is rising inside the car.
- Find safe shelter right away.
- Get to the highest level if trapped in a building. Only get on the roof if necessary and once there signal for help. Do not climb into a closed attic, to avoid getting trapped by rising floodwater.
- When water rapidly accumulates in the ground, landslides can happen. Watch for landslides in areas with steep slopes and runoff, construction, burn scars and tilting telephone poles, trees, or fences.
- Pay attention and listen to emergency alerts, Humboldt Alert notifications and NOAA weather radio for current emergency information and instructions.
- Wait until officials say it is safe to go home.
- It may look just like muddy rainwater but beware that exposure to floodwater can make you sick. Floodwater may contain toilet waste, hazardous chemicals, dead animals, and heavy or sharp objects.
- Do not let children play in floodwater or play with toys or anything that got wet until they have been disinfected.
- Do not let any pets play in or drink from standing floodwater or puddles.
- Floods can make your water unsafe to use or drink. Listen for official announcements on the safety of public water. Water authorities will tell you if your tap water is not safe or how to make it safe by boiling or disinfecting.
- Flooding in your home can make your food unsafe to eat. Other than undamaged cans and metal pouches, throw out any fresh or packaged food and drinks that floodwater touched.
- If you had power loss of 6-8 hours or more, throw away all frozen or refrigerated foods and medicines. When in doubt, throw it out!
- Wear heavy work gloves, protective clothing and boots during clean up and use appropriate face coverings or masks if cleaning mold or other debris.
- Be aware of the risk of electrocution. Do not touch electrical equipment if it is wet or if you are standing in water. Turn off the electricity to prevent electric shock if it is safe to do so.
- Avoid wading in floodwater, which can be contaminated and contain dangerous debris. Underground or downed power lines can also electrically charge the water.
What is the difference between a flood warning, flood advisory and a flood watch issued by the National Weather Service?
- Flood Warning - Take Action! A Flood Warning is issued when the hazardous weather event is imminent or already happening. A Flood Warning is issued when flooding is imminent or occurring.
- Flood Advisory - Be Aware: A Flood Advisory is issued when a specific weather event that is forecast to occur may result in nuisance flooding. This flooding may cause significant inconvenience, and if caution is not exercised, could lead to situations that may threaten life and/or property.
- Flood Watch - Be Prepared: A Flood Watch is issued when conditions are favorable for a specific hazardous weather event to occur, or when conditions are favorable for flooding. It does not mean flooding will occur, but it is possible.
Flood Safety Decision Making
Video produced by the National Weather Service.