Flooding hazards can threaten any community in any location in the United States. Flooding can occur over a period of weeks or days, or minutes, thus this course focuses the identification and assessment of hazards due to flooding to enable proper preparedness and response. As flooding is one of the top meteorological killers in the United States, and poses particular hazards to emergency responders, this introduction to recognizing flooding threats is essential for developing safe communities.

Flooding Hazards: Science and Preparedness is an awareness-level, eight-hour course that addresses the current science of the causes of floods (both meteorological and otherwise), flood forecasting, flood risk assessment, and best practices for preparation and mitigation for both short- and long-fuse flooding events. Modules will include instruction on:

• Factors that contribute to flooding and how these determine flood risk;
• FEMA flood risk maps and the National Flood Insurance Program;
• How to read and interpret forecasts, watches, and warnings from the National Weather Service and hydrographs from the U.S. Geological Survey; and
• Proper preparation for sudden flooding, such as flash flooding and dam breaks, and long-fuse flood events such as river flooding.

The discussion of these topics will be framed to maximize the safety of first responders and other emergency staff and their ability to respond to and help others.

Key concepts and discussion topics will be reinforced with facilitator-led group activities that utilize real-world flood scenarios. These activities will illustrate the diverse challenges and complexities that can occur during actual flood events while building participants’ experience and confidence in anticipating, heeding warnings, and responding to floods.