Flood Prep Checklist
With a hurricane and El Niño-driven high tides threatening Long Beach next week, now is the time to get ready. Work through the checklist that fits your home.
Single-family homes face unique flood risks — from garage flooding to foundation seepage. Work through these steps before the storm arrives.
Everyone in the Household
- Sign up for Alert Long Beach (verify current sign-up channel).
- Look up your address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center to know your flood zone.
- Know two routes to higher, stable ground. Never drive through standing water; avoid underpasses and low dips.
- Know where your water, gas, and electric shutoffs are.
- Move valuables and papers off the floor; back up documents to the cloud.
- Pack a go-bag (see the Go-Bag tab).
Home and Property
- Clear gutters, downspouts, and yard drains before the rainy season.
- Point runoff away from the foundation and any slope.
- Check retaining walls and hillside landscaping for cracks or soil movement. Cover bare slopes with plastic sheeting before a big storm.
- Get sandbags for garage doors and low doorways. Check with the City of Long Beach for distribution locations and times.
Common Challenge: Backyard Drainpipe
Some backyard drainpipes empty into a back alley or into the street. When floodwater is moving fast and deep past the outlet, the pressure from that flow can stop the pipe from draining, backing water up into the yard.
Fix: Place one or two sandbags just upstream of the pipe's outlet (on the side the water is flowing from). This creates a small pocket of calmer water at the opening, letting the pipe drain normally even while the street or alley is flowing.
Shared by a neighbor at the Sept. 23, 2026 Bluff Heights Neighborhood Association town hall.
Insurance
- Ask your insurer about flood coverage. Standard policies generally exclude it, and NFIP policies typically have a 30-day waiting period — don't wait for a forecast.
- Ask separately about landslide and earth-movement coverage, which is also usually excluded from standard policies.
Condo and apartment residents have less control over building systems but can still take meaningful steps to protect their unit and family.
Everyone in the Household
- Sign up for Alert Long Beach (verify current sign-up channel).
- Look up your building's address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center to know your flood zone.
- Know two routes to higher, stable ground. Never drive through standing water; avoid underpasses and low dips.
- Move valuables and papers off the floor; back up documents to the cloud.
- Pack a go-bag (see the Go-Bag tab).
Your Building
- Renters: get renters insurance and ask about flood add-ons. Your landlord's policy doesn't cover your belongings.
- Ask your HOA or landlord about the building's storm plan, garage drainage, and sump pumps.
- Underground garage? Move your car to higher ground or a street spot before heavy rain.
- Keep towels and a wet/dry vacuum handy for balcony or door seepage.
- Know your building's evacuation route and where the utility shutoffs are.
Building Coordinators (20+ Units)
- Before rainy season, confirm drains, sump pumps, and garage inlets are cleared and working.
- Keep a contact list of neighbors who need extra help, such as limited mobility or no car.
- Post shutoff locations and evacuation routes where residents can see them.
- Pass alerts along to neighbors who haven't signed up.
One bag per person, packed and ready by the door. You should be able to grab it and go in under two minutes.
Go-Bag: One Per Person, Ready by the Door
- Medications (at least a few days' supply) and a written list of doses.
- Phone charger and a fully charged power bank.
- Copies of ID and insurance in a waterproof bag, plus a phone photo of each.
- Water and a few non-perishable snacks.
- Flashlight and spare batteries.
- Battery or hand-crank radio.
- Cash in small bills.
- Spare glasses or contacts, hearing-aid batteries.
- Rain jacket, sturdy closed-toe shoes, dry socks.
- Basic first-aid kit and whistle.
- Pets: food, leash, carrier, vaccination records.
- Written list of key phone numbers (phones die).
Keep It Current
Refresh the water, medications, and batteries each fall before the rainy season.
Severe Flooding: Vehicle Exit Routes
Bluff Heights to High Ground
Not an official evacuation plan. Follow direction from police, fire, or Alert Long Beach versus this map if they conflict. If you're new to the area, drive these routes once on a normal day so they're familiar before you'd ever need them.
If flooding forces a vehicle evacuation, three streets offer the clearest northbound path out of the neighborhood. Redondo Avenue is a viable option only if you turn west before reaching Hill Street — the low-lying intersection at Redondo and Hill is a potential flash flood point.
✓ Recommended Routes
The most direct routes to higher ground from Bluff Heights are Obispo and Temple Avenues — a straight shot north with no turns required. Both are relatively flat from Broadway to Anaheim Street, then climb about a mile through light industrial, then residential areas — crossing PCH and topping out on the south shoulder of Signal Hill.
- →Obispo Ave
- →Temple Ave
⚠ Cautionary Route
Redondo Ave — usable only if you turn west before Hill St onto 19th, Grant, or 20th St, then head north.
🚨 Flash Flood Risk — Redondo & Hill St
The low point at Redondo and Hill Street floods rapidly. Do not attempt to drive through standing water here.
Where to stop
Pull over safely on the shoulder of either street once you've topped out on Signal Hill's south side. Wait out the storm there and listen for radio updates, rather than pushing on into unfamiliar territory. If you must continue driving north towards Willow Street, Spring Street and the 405 Freeway, Obispo is the only through street and begins to descend once you travel past Hill Street.
This schematic is a neighborhood guide, not an official emergency management map. Conditions vary — always follow directions from emergency personnel on scene.
Flood prone areas and streets to avoid
Streets bordering Colorado Lagoon
Streets immediately surrounding Colorado Lagoon are at elevated flood risk during heavy rain events: Appian Way, 4th Street, Park Drive, and 6th Street near Recreation Park Golf Course.
If high tides are severe, the following streets in Belmont Shore may also flood: Broadway, 2nd Street, and Ocean Boulevard.
Prepared by BHNA CERT Zone D Captain for the September 2026 BHNA CERT Meeting. For emergencies, call 911. For non-emergency city services, call Long Beach 311.