Prepare a Home Mudslide Plan

• Develop a family disaster plan.
• Talk to your insurance agent. Debris flow may be covered by flood insurance policies from the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).
• Develop an evacuation plan. You should know where to go if you have to leave. Trying to make plans at the last minute can be upsetting and create confusion.

• Discuss mudslides and debris flow with your family. Everyone should know what to do in case all family members are not together. Discussing disaster ahead of time helps reduce fear and lets everyone know how to respond during a mudslide or debris flow.

 Prepare a Disaster Supply Kit for Home and Car, Including

• First aid kit and essential medications
• Canned food and can opener
• At least three gallons of water per person, per day
• Protective clothing, rainwear, and bedding or sleeping bags
• Battery-powered radio, flashlight, and extra batteries
• Special items for infants, elderly or family members with a disability
• Written instructions on how to turn off electricity, gas and water if authorities advise you to do so. NOTE: You will need a professional to turn them back on.

• If your property is in a mudslide-prone area, contract with a private consulting company specializing in earth movement for opinions and advice on landslide problems and on corrective measures you can take. Such companies would likely be those specializing in geotechnical engineering, structural engineering, or civil engineering. Local officials could possibly advise you as to the best kind of professional to contact in your area. Taking steps without consulting a professional could make your situation worse.
• Install flexible pipe fittings to avoid gas or water leaks. Flexible fittings will be less likely to break.

• Become familiar with the land around you. Learn whether mudslides and debris flows have occurred in your area by contacting local officials, state geological surveys or departments of natural resources, and university departments of geology. Knowing the land can help you assess your risk for danger.
• Watch the patterns of storm-water drainage on slopes near your home, and especially the places where runoff water converges, increasing flow over soil-covered slopes. Watch the hillsides around your home for any signs of land movement, such as small mudslides or debris flows, or progressively tilting trees. Watching small changes could alert you to the potential of a greater mudslide threat.

• Stay alert and awake. Many debris-flow fatalities occur when people are sleeping. Listen to a NOAA Weather Radio or portable, battery-powered radio or television for warnings of intense rainfall. Be aware that intense, short bursts of rain may be particularly dangerous, especially after longer periods of heavy rainfall and damp weather.
• If you are in areas susceptible to mudslides and debris flows, consider leaving if it is safe to do so. Remember that driving during an intense storm can be hazardous. If you remain at home, move to a second story if possible. Staying out of the path of a mudslide or debris flow saves lives.
• Listen for any unusual sounds that might indicate moving debris, such as trees cracking or boulders knocking together. A trickle of flowing or falling mud or debris may precede larger landslides. Moving debris can flow quickly and sometimes without warning.
• If you are near a stream or channel, be alert for any sudden increase or decrease in water flow and for a change from clear to muddy water. Such changes may indicate mudslide activity upstream, so be prepared to move quickly. Don't delay! Save yourself, not your belongings.
• Be especially alert when driving. Embankments along roadsides are particularly susceptible to mudslides. Watch the road for collapsed pavement, mud, fallen rocks, and other indications of possible debris flows.

• Contact your local fire, police, or public works department. Local officials are the best persons able to assess potential danger.
• Inform affected neighbors. Your neighbors may not be aware of potential hazards. Advising them of a potential threat may help save lives. Help neighbors who may need assistance to evacuate.
• Evacuate. Getting out of the path of a mudslide or debris flow is your best protection.

• Quickly move out of the path of the mudslide or debris flow. Moving away from the path of the flow to a stable area will reduce your risk.
• If escape is not possible, curl into a tight ball and protect your head. A tight ball will provide the best protection for your body.

• Stay away from the slide area. There may be danger of additional slides.
• Check for injured and trapped persons near the slide, without entering the direct slide area. Direct rescuers to their locations.
• Help a neighbor who may require special assistance--infants, elderly people, and people with disabilities. Elderly people and people with disabilities may require additional assistance. People who care for them or who have large families may need additional assistance in emergency situations.
• Listen to local radio or television stations for the latest emergency information.
• Watch for flooding, which may occur after a mudslide or debris flow. Floods sometimes follow mudslides and debris flows because they may both be started by the same event.
• Look for and report broken utility lines to appropriate authorities. Reporting potential hazards will get the utilities turned off as quickly as possible, preventing further hazard and injury.
• Check the building foundation, chimney, and surrounding land for damage. Damage to foundations, chimneys, or surrounding land may help you assess the safety of the area.
• Replant damaged ground as soon as possible since erosion caused by loss of ground cover can lead to flash flooding.
• Seek the advice of a geotechnical expert for evaluating landslide hazards or designing corrective techniques to reduce landslide risk. A professional will be able to advise you of the best ways to prevent or reduce landslide risk, without creating further hazard.