With snowmelt underway and heavy rain likely this spring, state officials are urging New Yorkers to start thinking about flood safety.
New York has one of the most specialized first responder training programs in the country, built specifically to simulate the dangers rescuers face in the field.
Pablo Davis, deputy chief of the Technical Rescue Branch of the Office of Fire Prevention and Control, described the facility as “a world class, first-of-its-kind” program dedicated strictly to first responder training.
The facility can flood streets to replicate urban flood conditions.
Police and fire agencies send their personnel to the program, training them to handle the most dangerous swift water scenarios. Davis says the state trains about 350 first responders to the technician level each year.
Beyond training, a 200-member emergency team stands ready to deploy anywhere across the state. But officials warn even the best-trained rescue teams can’t be everywhere at once. Davis says many people underestimate the power of moving water.
“I don’t think folks realize how heavy and how forceful moving water can be,” Davis said. “It doesn’t take much to sweep a car downstream.”
Experts recommend assembling a go-kit with medications and essential documents, making a family emergency plan and knowing what to do the moment water starts rising. Davis says those caught in rising water should act quickly.
“If you’re in a home, seek higher ground, whether you have to evacuate the home or climb to an upper story,” he said. “In a vehicle, if you have to get on the roof, that can be an option.”
Above all, Davis says the best survival strategy is the simplest.
“I think good situational awareness, and prevention of ever getting yourself in a situation like that, is really the safest course of action.”