Preparing an emergency response plan will help you think through all the details that will demand attention as the floodwaters approach. Before, during and after the event there are many tasks to be done which demands coordination in a hectic and agitated situation which is difficult to pursue without a plan. This is a project for the whole family. The family should write down a plan together so that everyone understands it. And having the plan written helps people remember what to do when everyone is in a hurry and nervous due to an approaching flood.

The emergency response plan depends on the type of flood hazard, status of technical flood protection, available local warning procedures and the estimated warning time. As stated before, the response time may be a couple of hours or even days for larger rivers and less than an hour for smaller rivers. In the latter case people might only have enough time to evacuate the house. In some extreme cases of flash floods, no warning time is available at all.

Depending on the local characteristics following general points should be considered setting up emergence response plan: