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American Red Cross: What to do in the case of a flood

North Alabama may see severe weather from the remnants of Hurricane Ida, including potential flooding.

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — The American Red Cross is taking care of many who have been and will be affected by Tropical Storm Ida. 

Although a hurricane may not blow through Huntsville, there is still a chance that people could experience major flooding.

WZDX's Nixon Norman spoke with Red Cross Alabama and Mississippi Region Communications Director Annette Rowland who shared some tips on what to do if you are impacted by a flood.

"When you've got flooding, the most important thing is to make sure that you follow officials and you listen to what they say. If they say, 'turn around, don't drown' because the road is closed, don't drive through that road," said Rowland.

When flooding occurs, entire roadways can be closed off because they are underwater, therefore making them unsafe to travel. Rowland says it's best to keep your options open and have more than one route to safety.

"Also, it's making sure that people have those evacuation routes, so they know where they're going to go and don't try to take a shortcut because again there could be a reason that a road is closed," said Rowland.

RELATED: Ida Impacts Across The Tennessee Valley

Getting an emergency preparedness bag ready is important. This bag should contain things like blankets, warm clothes, non-perishable food items, water, batteries, a portable charger and a weather radio. 

Rowland says having this bag ready to go is especially important if you know your home sits at a lower elevation and is more prone to flooding.

"If you know that you live in an area that's prone to flooding, that's the time- if you see that rain coming down, then you want to move to higher ground before flooding begins. So, if that means you have that emergency pack ready to go, you strap that on your back, get in your car, go to higher ground, but you need to get to higher ground. If you know that you live in an area that is prone to flooding," said Rowland.

If you find yourself in a situation where you are close to floodwater, do your very best to stay far away.

"Most importantly probably is keeping your children, keeping your pets keeping yourself out of floodwaters, because you don't know what's in that water. There could be power lines down, there could be snakes, there could be insects, there could be broken glass to cut your foot," said Rowland.

She also says it's important to have multiple ways of getting weather alerts.

RELATED: North Alabama, Tennessee Valley school and business closings and cancellations August 30-Sept. 1, 2021

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