SA Läänemaa – Preparing for floods

Under the leadership of the Läänemaa Foundation, two video stories were prepared to help people better understand why and how to prepare for possible floods.

The first video focuses on what to keep in mind and how to act when a person receives a flood warning, the second video on what to do when water is already in the house. “In an emergency situation, every person must be able to manage on their own for a while, either because, for example, if many people should get into trouble in a large area at the same time, help may not reach everyone immediately, and depending on the emergency situation, the path to the person in need of help may not be passable at all.” explained Risto Roomet, the leader of Palivere’s volunteer rescue command.

“We chose the video format in order to reach as many people as possible,” explained Ege Tatarmäe, public health and safety specialist of the Lääne County Foundation. Through the prism of light humor and the illustration of contrasting right-wrong behavior, we try to reach the largest possible audience so that people become more familiar with the topic of flooding and thus be better prepared for floods. The videos also invite viewers to go to the “Be Prepared” website, where you can get more in-depth information on how to prepare for a flood, how to respond to a flood warning, how to act during a flood, and what to do after a flood.

“In the videos, the situation is not so critical that people need urgent help, but it is better to be prepared for the worst. Residents of homes located in flood zones should consider potential hazards and solutions. You could start by checking whether your home is in a flood area on the web map of the Land Board’s geoportal. If so, it would be wise to prepare for it,” said Tatarmäe.

“Just as every emergency is different, every flood can be different. Unfortunately, it is not possible to give one universal guide that is always valid, according to which everyone in trouble should behave, starting with whether to stay at home in the event of a flood or when to make the decision to evacuate. Everything depends on the extent of the flood, its duration, the place, the person’s readiness and intuition,” explained Roomet.

If it is known in advance that the water level at home may rise by, for example, 50 cm or more, it would be advisable to leave home early, making all possible preparations before leaving, so that the flood passes with as little damage as possible. “If the house is surrounded by a river that has overflowed its banks during spring floods and the water has not yet reached the room, there is no immediate need to evacuate, but you must be ready to leave the house. The water level and the forecast should be monitored as often as possible,” said Roomet.

Roomet explained that leaving home is also associated with risks. For example, the roads may be under water and you cannot see where to go, especially at night. Several dangers can be hidden in the water, such as electric shock, holes and strong movement of the water mass (already 50 cm of water starts to move cars). In addition, of course, there is also the risk of hypothermia and drowning.
“Therefore, when considering the decision to leave home, one must make sure that it is safe to do so. If the house has been left, the municipality or the emergency number 112 should definitely be notified, so that the rescuers do not spend their resources checking empty houses, while lives may be in danger in another house. If it is no longer possible to evacuate, you must call the emergency number 112,” Roomet summarized the issue.

Risto Roomet, the leader of Palivere’s volunteer rescue command, and Ege Tatarmäe, the public health and security specialist of Läänemaa foundation, joined forces as actors and content creators. The filming location was Tänava talu in Läänemaa.