Stay indoors during the storm. Do not attempt to walk in flooded areas. Flood water may be unsanitary and there may be downed power lines or other hazards that are not visible. Also, do not attempt to drive through flooded areas. Vehicles can become unstable and float in as little as a few inches of water.

Canal banks may fail and roadways may be affected by sinkholes. The location of roads and sidewalks may not be discernible from canals and lakes. To learn more about the hazards of driving through flooded areas, click here  to watch the U.S. National Weather Services Turn Around Don't Drown public service announcement.

If flooding is severe and roads are impassable, communities may request to open their operable discharge control structures to increase the rate of stormwater discharge. Authorization from the District to open structures is mandatory and is only granted for emergency situations and when District canals are at low enough elevations to accept the increased discharge from neighborhood systems. Opening an operable discharge control structure without authorization may put a community in jeopardy as canal water may back-flow into the community's lakes.  Click here to view the procedures for requesting authorization to open an operable discharge control structures.