The extreme weather events that have hit parts of the U.S. in recent weeks show that it doesn’t take a single major hurricane to cause significant damage, including the heavy rainfall from Tropical Storm Debby that has hit parts of the Southeast.
After hitting Florida as a Category 1 hurricane, the slow-moving system remained over Georgia and the Carolinas on Wednesday, flooding low-lying communities and combining with other weather conditions to leave thousands without power in places as far away as Ohio and New York City. At least six people died — several from downed trees, others from flooded roads — and states of emergency were declared in many states and more rain was expected.
Savannah, Georgia Mayor Van Johnson told locals live on air as the storm approached, “Stay safe.” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told Americans at a press briefing to “stay alert, heed the warnings from local authorities and visit ready.gov for tips on staying safe.”
As weather patterns change due to global warming and devastating storms become more frequent even in places people thought were relatively safe, experts say disaster preparedness is paramount.
What should you do if you’re faced with record rainfall?
Victoria Salinas, who directs the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s resilience program, said it’s important to assess whether your home meets current building codes and find out your insurance coverage well in advance of extreme weather events.
It’s also important to check in on your neighbors, sign up for real-time city, county and FEMA weather alerts, and listen to the news and local authorities as storms approach.
“Make sure things like gutters are clear,” Salinas added. “If you live in an area with storm drains and stormwater systems, it’s really important to make sure there’s a place for the water to flow both on your property and on your block.”
“Sandbags can play a really important role if used correctly,” he added. “Sandbags should be outside your door, against the door where water is most likely to get in. If there’s a chance of water being there for a long time, it’s important to make sure the sandbags are also wrapped in plastic.”
Should you try to evacuate or stay where you are?
If there are local evacuation orders, people should heed them, gather important documents, have enough gas to drive out and be prepared to be away for an extended period, said Jeannette Sutton, an associate professor at the University at Albany.
“I would hope that the improbability of an event wouldn’t affect people’s judgment,” he added. “It’s a good idea to be cautious.”
As major storms approach, there often comes a point where leaving is more dangerous than staying.
“Unfortunately, we typically have a lot of loss of life in these types of major flood events because people are trying to drive on flooded roads,” said Phil Klotzbach, a senior research associate in the Department of Atmospheric Sciences at Colorado State University.
Charleston, South Carolina, closed all roads leading to the city’s central peninsula for 32 hours to prevent high-water rescues. Driving can also cause waves that send floodwater over sandbags.
“The bottom line is we want you to stay home until this passes,” Charleston Mayor William Cogswell said. “We specifically don’t need any idiots driving through the water and damaging property.”
How can you prepare your home and belongings?
FEMA’s Salinas said moving souvenirs, furniture and valuables to upper floors if possible, making sure water pump batteries are fully charged and making sure there is enough food, water and medical supplies are all ways to prepare in the short term.
“If I had a car, I would probably try to put it in a parking lot above where it could be flooded, so my car wouldn’t be flooded,” suggests Jeff Masters, founder of Weather Underground, who now works at Yale Climate Connections.
“It’s always a good idea to waterproof your home,” he said. “And it’s always smart not to keep your backup generators in the basement, for example.”
What can you do after a disaster strikes?
Experts say if people cannot prepare for floods in time, they should move to the top floor of their homes or seek safe shelter.
But experts say being too high up can be dangerous when strong winds and hurricanes are a threat, which is when checking the forecast is crucial.
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St. John reported from Detroit. Fatima Hussein contributed from Washington, DC. Jeffrey Collins contributed from Columbia, South Carolina.
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Alexa St. John is an Associated Press climate solutions reporter. Follow her at X, formerly on Twitter. @alexa_stjohnYou can reach him at ast.john@ap.org.