1. Flood? It’s not my problem.
Floods are inevitable; they always were, are and will be happening. Citizens in some parts of Poland are particularly vulnerable and exposed to floods. Check if you are in a risk group.
2. I have no control of the flood risk level.
While you are not able to rule out the flood completely, you can still effectively limit the risk of flood. Learn what you can do to take care of your surroundings in order to protect you and your family.
3. Flood in unpredictable.
Flood is caused by the force majeure, it comes unexpectidly and it is always a suprise.
Not true. Floods can generally be predicted. If you live in the area with a higher risk of flood, follow the hydrological conditions reports.
4. It’s impossible to be prepared for a floot.
It’s impossible to be prepared for a flood; one can only keep one’s fingers crossed for the water not to reach houses and farm buildings. You cannot learn to live with a flood.
False. Do not sit still waiting for the water to come, prepare. Learn what to do before, during and after the flood.
5. Farmer is like a sea captain.
Farmer is like a sea captain, he should be the last person leaving the vessel fighting the flood like a real hero.
Harmful myth. Water is a dangerous force. Be the hero of your family and prepare family flood plan in good time. In case of flood, behave reasonably and responsibly, make sure that your family leaves the buildings. Do not forget about putting together rescue kit which will help you to survive at least 3 days during the flood.
6. When flood comes, nobody will help me.
False. In Poland, there are acts and legal regulations in force standardizing the responsibility of the state and self-government units in case of natural disasters. Check which institutions are responsible for flood protection. Print out a list of telephone numbers and keep it with you at all times. (contacts to the Crisis Management Centre)
7. A hundred-year flood has already happened.
The next will be in a hundred years.
Extremely dangerous mistake. Hundred-year floods do not happen every hundred years. In reality, every year we have one chance in a hundred that AT LEAST ONE such flood will happen. Just like winning the lottery, which happens several times in a row, if you are lucky, also floods can be repeated immediately. In the Kłodzko Valley, catastrophic floods occurred in 1997 and in 1998. In the summer of 2010, in the Carpathian Mountains, the so-called hundred-year flood happened twice, in addition to two smaller floods!