Flooding: It can happen to anyone

Handling the coastal flooding that comes with every hurricane starts with one simple step: Learn where you live.

"If I had to give people one piece of advice, that would be it," said Stanley Kite, a veteran emergency-services director in Craven County. "People need to understand where they live and know the base elevation of their homes and their garages, especially if they are new to the area. Knowing your risk is critical to preparation."

It takes Kite only a moment to start ticking off a list of flood-prone areas in Craven County: Fairfield Harbour, Brices Creek, the Woodrow and Duffyfield communities, among others.

To figure out if your area is likely to flood, Kite suggests talking to a member of a local zoning board or a local building inspector. Another option is to check out floodplain maps, organized by county and town, at www.ncfloodmaps.com.

"A lot of people seem to think it isn't going to happen to them, particularly if they are not right on the water," Kite said. "We've certainly experienced inland flooding here. You have to do more than watch the river."

A hurricane's trademark heavy rain is not the only cause of flooding in an area.

"Inland waters from somewhere else that are trying to drain can certainly impact us in this region," Kite said.

Then there's storm surge, which is the most deadly kind of flooding because it can happen quickly.

"Again, it's important to learn where you live and learn the history of where you live so you can assess your risk and make good decisions," Kite said. "If you wait until you see flooding in your yard, you may have already put yourself in a dangerous situation. You may be able to get out of your yard, but you may not be able to drive down some secondary roads that you need to be able to access."

To prepare a yard for potential flooding, residents should make sure their lawn furniture and gas tanks are secure and that their pets will be safe. Inside, store important documents or irreplaceable items in waterproof containers. Residents may also want to consider moving some items to higher areas inside their houses or to a second story if it is available. Kite also suggests having a plan with friends, family or co-workers to move vehicles to higher ground.People often underestimate the danger of driving in flooded areas, Kite said.

"The deception is that they don't think the water looks too deep," he said. "It only takes a few inches to take you downstream, off a bridge or off a road."

Kite said one of the most valuable tools to help a person anticipate flooding is a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, weather radio. In particular, a NOAA radio that has "specific area message encoding" can be programmed with codes that are specific to a county or a region. The battery-powered radios are available at most discount stores for about $50.

"You want to be ready enough that you aren't waiting on the government to tell you to evacuate," Kite said. "And if we tell you to evacuate and you don't, I may not have the tools to be able to reach you once you figure out you should have left."