What to do in case of flood or mudflow

If you find yourself in a flood zone, you need to:

• turn off gas, electricity and water in the house;
• put out the burning heating stoves;
• move the valuable household items to the upper floors of the building or attics;
• upholster the windows and doors of the first floors of houses with the boards or plywood to prevent the breakage of glasses and penetration of the floating debris into the house;
• open the latches on the doors in the sheds where there are pets.

In case of the flash flood, take the warm and preferably waterproof clothing, blankets, food, etc. with you, climb to the highest points of the relief, which is known to have never been flooded.

If there are none, it is necessary to prepare a boat and other improvised floating equipment for the sailing.

After the water has escaped, beware of the torn and sagging electrical wires, damaged gas lines.

Before entering the house, you must make sure that its structure is not loosened under the blows of the water element.

The food found in the water should not be used for the cooking, as well as the flood water itself.

The mudflows are short-term mud-stone streams moving in separate shafts, it is typical for the mountainous areas.

They are formed as a result of the breakthrough of mountain lakes, overflowing with water from melted snow, ice, precipitation.

The occurrence of mudflows in the mountainous regions of Kazakhstan is possible in the warm season (May - September).

The height of the mudflow can reach up to 10-20 meters (in some cases up to 40-50 meters), the speed approaches the speed of the flow of mountain rivers (3-5 and more m/s).

It is practically impossible to stay alive, being in the path of a mudflow, therefore, the prevention of the mudflow danger is of particular importance.

The mudflow hazard signs:

• the fallout in the mudflow-prone basin of the prolonged torrential rains;
• the sharp and prolonged increase in the air temperature in the mudflow-prone head-rivers, causing the overflow of the mountain lakes and creating the danger of their breakthrough;
• the sharp drop in the water level in the lake or the formation of the craters on its surface, indicating a breakthrough of the lake dam (dam);
• the earthquake leading to the destruction of the lake dam (dam).

The signs of immediate and imminent mudflow threat:

• the cessation or sharp decrease in the runoff in the mudflow-hazardous channel, which indicates the accumulation of water in the moraine-glacial complex;
• the occurrence of the hum in the mudflow-prone head-river channel;
• shaking the soil from the impacts of stones carried by the mudflows;
• the appearance of a cloud of the mud dust formed from the shock wave in front of the mudflow;
• the formation of the mud-floods characterized by the increased water turbidity.

The floods are mainly caused by the following reasons:

• The abundant or prolonged precipitation, rapid melting of the snow and ice jams;
• the surge of the water from the sea to the coasts and estuaries of rivers by strong wind or tide;
• the breakthrough of the dams and reservoirs, which occurred both as a result of the natural causes and through human fault.

Only in the breakthrough of the ice jams and earth bridges in the head rivers the flood could occur instantly.

In other cases, there is a reserve of time allowing reacting in a timely manner to the threat of the flooding.

It is also necessary to pay attention to the hydrological forecasts.

If you want to provide yourself with individual preventive safety measures, you need:

• erect the capital structures, and not those that collapse at the first impact of the wave;
• teach all the family members to swim;
• have a boat (or preferably two - one ordinary, the other inflatable);
• familiarize yourself with the topographically elevated points in the surrounding area;
• know the methods and forms of notification of the impending natural disaster.

How to behave in the mudflow-prone areas:

• keep an eye on media reports about the situation in the mountains;
• leave the mudflow-prone channel if there is an intense rainstorm in the upper reaches of the mudflow-prone basin;
• do not approach a moving mudflow closer than 50-70 m;
• do not stop near the steep cliffs and steep slopes, as the shaking during the passage of a mudflow may result in a landslide or rock fall;
• move along the mudflow channels with an interval of at least 20-30 meters between the people;
• do not stop for rest and do not set up a tent camp near the mudflow-prone channels, on the lake weirs (dams) and under them;
• if you see the signs of mudflow, immediately move as far away from the channel as possible up the mountain slopes;
• do not descend into the mudflow bed after the mudflow is passed - another shaft may follow it;
• take a maximum caution when descending into the channel and when driving along it after the mudflow is passed, especially in areas of mudflow incisions and potholes;
• It is recommended to stay on the moraine-glacial complex and move along it during periods when the risk of mudflows is absent or unlikely, preferably at subzero air temperatures;
• do not navigate the lakes formed by unstable debris or by a moving glacier or avalanche.