Flooding: Reporting & Safety Tips
Flooding Safety Tips
Is this an emergency where you are in immediate danger? If so, please hang up and call 9-1-1.
Never drive through moving water or standing water. Standing water that is only two-feet deep can disable most vehicles. Turn around, don’t drown.
Barricades are placed for your protection. If you come upon a barricade or a flooded road, turn around and go a different way.
Treat non-functioning traffic signals as a four-way stop.
Do not wade into or swim in floodwaters. They may contain sewage, dangerous chemicals, hidden hazards, or other threats to your health.
Hillsborough County staff will be unable to remotely determine if your residence or property has incurred flooding damage.
Reporting Flooding
First, Search for any Existing Record
Thank you for calling to report this. Before we begin, I need to verify whether this has already been reported to us. What is the name of the street or nearest crossroad where this happened? (Search for street in WebEOC, then proceed to appropriate bulleted option.)
Already reported and no substantial change: This has already been reported and is assigned to the appropriate agency. (You can provide info from the description and any agency response details. Call ends here.)
Already reported, there is a substantial change, and the record is still in “assigned” status: This has been reported already, but I’m going to add the new information you’re providing. This may be helpful for the team that’s assigned to address it. (Enter new information in the Issue Description, and any corrections or clarifying details to the Location Information, etc. Save your work. Call ends here.)
Not yet reported, or previous record has a status other than “assigned”: I will take down the information you’re providing and also will need to ask you some questions. Then I will send the information for review.
(Open a New Record in WebEOC. If already reported, copy and paste the reference/record number from the existing record and mention it in the new record.
Ask the questions below.
Document the response to each question and complete the remaining WebEOC sections.
Use the Flooding event type.
Save your work.
For the WebEOC Issue Description
Where does the flooding start and end? (Include any landmarks such as intersections, home addresses, noticeable buildings or structures, etc.)
What is flooded? (road, right-of-way, homes, hospital, emergency shelter, assisted living facility, water pumping station, etc.)
To your knowledge, is the flooding on private property, or is it on public property?
(If affecting road), can vehicles/people pass? What lanes are affected? (for example: all lanes, southbound only, northbound only, etc.)
Is the neighborhood impacted? If so, can you provide the name of the neighborhood?
Without going in it, could you estimate how deep the water is?
Does there appear to be any flood damage? If yes, please describe it.
Are there power lines involved? If yes, do you know if TECO been notified? (Pronounced “Tee-Co”, short for Tampa Electric Company)
NOTE: If Power Lines are involved, choose Power/Line Down as the Event Type in WebEOC. This routes the request to TECO first, as they must address the power lines before any other work can be done.
Outages or downed power lines can be reported online at https://outage.tecoenergy.com/ or by calling 1-877-588-1010.
Are any first responders onsite? If yes, which agency?
(If caller is law enforcement), what is the Event Number?