Move early, gain elevation, and stay out of channels. If officials order an evacuation, leave immediately using a route that rises and avoids creeks, washes, drainage channels, canyon bottoms and low crossings. Never drive or walk through moving water. If a landslide is actively striking the building and a safe exit is blocked, go to the highest floor or climb onto a sturdy countertop while monitoring officials.
Flash floods, landslides and debris flows can develop in minutes, especially below recent wildfires. The National Weather Service (NWS) and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) guidance below explains which action fits each situation, how to recognize danger, and what to do after the water or slide passes.
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First decisions: evacuate or shelter in place?
Your choice depends on three facts: whether officials have ordered evacuation, whether a safe route exists, and whether a landslide is already hitting the building.
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| Situation | Best action |
|---|---|
| Officials issue an evacuation order or a safe uphill route is open | Leave at once. Do not wait for conditions to worsen. |
| Moderate or heavy rain over a vulnerable post-wildfire burn scar and local guidance says to move | Move before a debris-flow warning if you can do so safely; warning time may be very short. |
| Flooding is approaching but you can still reach higher ground safely | Evacuate on foot or by vehicle only while the route remains open, staying well away from channels. |
| A landslide is striking the building and the exit leads through the slide | Do not try to cross the slide. Go to the highest floor or climb onto a countertop until movement stops. |
| Floodwater blocks every safe exit | Go up, not out: reach the highest point inside the home and continue monitoring official instructions. |
USGS cautions that landslides are dangerous, very difficult to predict and can occur rapidly. Conditions can change after you make your first decision, so keep receiving alerts and be ready to move if officials revise instructions.
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What to do when a flash-flood warning arrives
1. Confirm the warning and act immediately
A flash-flood warning means flooding is occurring, reported or imminent. Check local emergency alerts, NOAA Weather Radio and reliable weather broadcasts. Do not wait to verify the water visually; by then, roads and crossings may already be unsafe.
2. Follow evacuation orders without delay
Leave as soon as officials direct you to evacuate. In burn-scar terrain, intense rain can trigger a debris flow within minutes, and local authorities may advise moving during moderate or heavy rain even before a formal warning. Take only essential items that are already at hand; packing should never delay departure.
3. Choose a route that rises and stays away from channels
Use a route you have identified in advance that gains elevation and is unlikely to be cut off. Move away from creeks, arroyos, washes, drainage ditches, canyon bottoms, stream mouths and low-water crossings. Do not head toward a channel simply because it appears to offer the shortest path.
Never cross a bridge if you see a flow approaching. A bridge can be undermined or overtopped before the water looks deep from your position. Stay on the safe side and follow emergency directions for an alternate route.
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4. Stop driving when water reaches the road
The NWS warning is explicit: “NEVER drive through flooded roadways!” Water can hide a washed-out road, debris, open culverts or a collapsed shoulder. Turn around rather than passing barricades or entering a dip covered by water.
If rising water stalls your vehicle, unbuckle, open or break a window if necessary, leave the vehicle and climb toward higher ground immediately, provided you can do so without entering moving water. Do not remain in a vehicle that is being surrounded or swept by water.
5. If you must shelter inside, go up, not out
When floodwater makes every outside route unsafe, follow NWS Albuquerque’s instruction: “Go up, not out!” Move to the highest safe level of the home, taking a phone, flashlight and essential medicine if they are within reach. Keep monitoring official messages; sheltering is a last resort while no safe exit exists, not permission to ignore an evacuation order.
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Do not wait for a large wall of mud to appear. Leave when you notice combinations of these signs, especially during or after intense rain:
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- Rushing water mixed with mud, rocks, branches or other debris.
- A faint rumble that grows louder, unusual roaring, cracking trees or boulders knocking together.
- Sudden movement of fences, retaining walls, utility poles, trees or individual boulders.
- New cracks, bulges or other deformation in soil, pavement, roads, walls or foundations.
- A sudden change in a stream’s level, or water changing from clear to muddy, which can signal an upstream slide.
If you are outside and a slide begins, leave the slide area immediately only if a clearly safe route exists. Move laterally away from the moving material and toward higher, stable ground; do not run into a drainage channel or across the slide itself.
What to do when a landslide is hitting your home
If a safe exit is available
Get out of the slide path and move to a stable area away from slopes, channels and structures that could collapse. Do not stop to retrieve belongings. Warn nearby people only if doing so does not delay your own escape.
If the building is being struck and escape is unsafe
USGS advises a different response when the slide is actively hitting the building and leaving would require crossing the slide: stay inside, go to the highest floor, or climb onto a countertop if that is the safest elevated position. Keep away from windows and exterior walls where possible. A countertop is a temporary refuge, not a guarantee of safety; call emergency services when communications are available and follow their instructions.
If movement stops
Do not rush outside. Additional slides can follow the first one, and apparently solid ground may be unstable. Remain in the safest elevated location until officials provide direction or rescuers reach you.
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Driving, walking and route choices in detail
Why a familiar road may be the wrong route
Floodwater can remove pavement and culverts beneath an apparently intact surface. Debris flows can bury roads, block canyon exits and push vehicles sideways. Select routes for elevation gained, distance from channels and slopes, and the likelihood that the road will remain open—not for convenience or familiarity.
Barriers and crossings
A barricade means the route is unsafe or unverified. Do not drive around it, move it or follow another vehicle through. Avoid bridges, fords and low crossings whenever water is rising or flowing. Turn around before water reaches your tires.
If someone is stranded
Call emergency services, provide the exact location and describe water depth, direction of flow, injuries and whether utilities are involved. Do not enter moving water to perform a rescue; rescuers use equipment and procedures designed for that hazard.
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Map your exposure and destination
Find out whether your home lies below a steep slope, beside a stream or drainage channel, or below a recent wildfire burn scar. Identify the fastest route to higher ground and a destination outside the threatened area. Include an alternate route in case the first road is cut off. Practice the route in daylight so every household member knows where to go.
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Set up reliable warnings
Sign up for county or local emergency alerts and keep a battery-powered NOAA Weather Radio available for power or internet outages. Use official alerts as the authority; a radio or phone is only a way to receive them and cannot stop a flood or debris flow.
Assemble supplies for at least three days
- Food and water for each person and animal.
- Prescription and essential over-the-counter medicine.
- Flashlights with spare batteries.
- First-aid supplies.
- A battery-powered radio or NOAA Weather Radio.
- Important papers stored in a waterproof document pouch or other waterproof container.
Keep the kit where it can be grabbed on the way out, not in a basement or garage that could flood. Plan for children, older adults, people with disabilities and pets, including carriers and needed medications.
Use barriers only when there is time
Sandbags and similar barriers may divert limited surface water when placed early and correctly. They cannot stop a debris flow and should never delay evacuation. If officials say to leave, abandon barrier work and go.
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After the water or slide passes
Wait for an official all-clear
Stay away from the slide or debris-flow area because additional movement may occur. Do not return home until officials declare the area safe, even if water levels appear lower.
Check from outside before entering
Look for downed or damaged power lines, gas leaks, hissing sounds, foundation cracks, shifted walls, collapsed sections, broken pipes and other structural damage. If you smell gas or hear hissing, leave immediately and call the fire department from a safe location. Never step into puddles near downed power lines.
Treat floodwater and mud as contaminated
Do not use questionable water for drinking, cooking, brushing teeth or washing. Follow local public-health instructions about boil-water notices, cleanup, mold and disposal. Wear appropriate protective equipment during cleanup and keep children and pets away from floodwater, mud and damaged sites.
Document damage safely
Once authorities allow re-entry and the structure is safe, photograph damage for your records, preserve receipts and contact your insurer or disaster-assistance agency. Do not re-energize electrical systems or relight appliances that have been wet until a qualified professional has inspected them.
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A compact action checklist
- Receive the alert through local authorities, NOAA Weather Radio or reliable broadcasts.
- Leave immediately when ordered, or when your preplanned safe route is still open during dangerous rain.
- Gain elevation and avoid creeks, washes, channels, canyon bottoms, slopes and low crossings.
- Turn around at flooded roads, barricades and approaching flows; never drive through water.
- If a vehicle stalls, leave it and climb to higher ground when that can be done safely.
- If an active landslide is striking the building and escape is blocked, go to the highest floor or climb onto a countertop.
- If outside movement is impossible, shelter at the highest safe point while monitoring officials.
- Afterward, wait for the all-clear, avoid unstable areas, check for utilities and structural damage, and use only safe water.
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