You can help yourself and others from getting stranded or hurt by paying attention to stream flow in your area. One way of doing that is to adopt a bridge and use it as your gauge of what the water levels are doing. If you regularly pay attention to the water levels on the bridge supports, which change with the seasons, you'll be able to more closely monitor the water hazard potential. Combine that observation with paying attention to what weather is doing upstream from you and you have a good chance of anticipating problems.

You may wonder what kinds of weather conditions cause rising waters. The obvious is a rain storm, locally and upstream, of course. Surge water from hurricanes and other at-sea storms can cause water in creeks and streams to rise suddenly too. Melting snow pack in the mountains can also cause water to rise as it melts.

These various conditions can become hazardous when they are sudden and/or localized. If you have taken it upon yourself to adopt a bridge and stay informed, you are in a better position to alert emergency authorities (calling 911 is an easy way of doing that) of problems, and to apprise your family and neighbors of potential problems too.

During flood situations the sheriff and other emergency responders will be busy, so it behooves you to be prepared to act without assistance. But early warning makes it easier for more people to take responsibility for their safety. Don't wait to the last minute to alert officials of rising waters. And don't wait until the last minute to alert your family and neighbors so they can act appropriately and timely.

Of course part of being a prepared citizen is to have short-term food storag that you can live off of from either home or where you evacuate to. Don't forget clothes, medicines and nutrients, emergency gadgets like flashlights and radios, and your pets. Other "comfort" items you may want to consider include reading material, pillow and bedding, games and snacks.

Furthermore, have an alternate escape route, or two, in mind so you can hopefully avoid being trapped at home by rising water. It's not always possible, and not always necessary, but it doesn't hurt to be prepared.

And if you are on the road and see rising water in the stream, go to high ground, don't stay in river canyons or low spots. A wall of water can happen too easily and quickly for you to respond to in those areas. And don't drive into water on the road since it could be hiding bigger problems than just deep water.

Rising water doesn't just happen in the spring and summer. Know your specific weather patterns and pay attention to what's happening that could impact you. Be ready to act. When the river's rising you need to be alert.