Hurricanes & Regional Flooding: Survival Lessons for Preparedness Month
Flash Flood Capital
Here in San Antonio, flood gauge signs aren’t just for show—they’re warnings carved into our landscape. This city is split by a river and sits on a limestone aquifer with barely a foot of topsoil. When it rains, the ground doesn’t drink—it drowns. Water piles up fast, and every year, someone thinks they can push through it in a car. They get swept away. Too often, they don’t come back.
That’s why preparedness isn’t a hobby—it’s survival. In San Antonio, Houston, or any other flood-prone ground, the storm will test you. Your job is to be harder to kill. That means the right plan, the right mindset, and gear built to take punishment.
Hurricanes & Storm Surge Flooding
People fear hurricane winds, but it’s the water that buries towns.
Storm surge is a moving wall of destruction. In Houston during Hurricane Harvey, and in Galveston during Hurricane Ike, entire neighborhoods disappeared under it. Roads vanished. Homes broke apart. Power grids died. The water doesn’t just soak—it erases.
If you’re near the Gulf, you’re in the blast zone. Even inland cities like San Antonio can feel the ripple when rivers blow their banks. Help may not come for days.
So stack the odds:
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Waterproof your essentials. Dry bags and sealed pouches keep you alive when everything else is floating.
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Lock down documents and cash. IDs, insurance, and money go in a waterproof ziploc bag and into Admin Pouch.
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Carry a pack that won’t quit. The Grassman and Rockape are built to hold, even when you’re wading waist-deep.
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Make yourself visible. Reflective Ruck Straps, reflective patches and Windstorm whistles mean the rescuers don’t miss you in the chaos.
Storm surge is merciless. Respect it, move early, and carry gear that doesn’t fold under pressure.
Regional Flash Flooding
Texas doesn’t wait for hurricanes to drown you.
San Antonio is called the Flash Flood Capital of the Nation for a reason. The river cuts through the city, the limestone sheds water like glass, and the streets turn into rivers in minutes.
The Hill Country funnels rain through canyons, creating sudden “walls of water” that sweep hikers, campers, and homes away without warning.
In Houston, the enemy is concrete. Bayous and drainage back up fast, and whole subdivisions become islands.
What you do next decides if you walk out or wait for rescue:
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EDC, you can grab blind. Smaller water-resistant ready packs like the Night Howler (currently on clearance) or Mothman.
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Clean water or die. Carry filters or tabs. Flood water is poison.
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Be seen, be heard. Reflective straps and whistles cut through the dark.
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Act fast. When you see water rising, move. Hesitation kills.
Floods don’t knock—they break in. Be ready before they hit.
Evacuation vs. Shelter-in-Place
When the call comes, you’ve got two plays: move or dig in. Wait too long, and the storm makes the choice for you.
Evacuation
Get out early or get trapped. During Hurricane Harvey, families who rolled early drove clear. Those who waited ended up clinging to rooftops.
Leaving means:
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Three to four days of supplies. Food, meds, water.
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Critical docs in your Admin Pouch.
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Comms and power. The Fuelbox Survivor Kit keeps phones and radios alive.
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Maps and fuel. GPS dies, gas runs out. Old school still works.
Shelter-in-Place
Sometimes you can’t leave. Roads gone. Fuel gone. Family you can’t move. Then you fight from home.
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Water, lots of it. Stored and purified.
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Backup power. Lights, radios, chargers.
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Clothing and warmth. Cold and wet kills fast.
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Signal gear. Windstorm whistles, reflective straps, flashlights.
Evacuation is speed. Shelter is endurance. Be ready for both.
Mindset & Community Lessons
Floods cut you off—from food, from help, from hope. Survival becomes a test of will.
Mindset wins fights. Panic freezes people in cars and living rooms while the water climbs. The ones who live are the ones who adapt, push, and refuse to quit. Toughness matters more than forecasts.
Community keeps you alive. During Hurricane Harvey, it wasn’t FEMA that saved thousands—it was neighbors with bass boats. In San Antonio, you’ll see people risking their lives to push stalled cars out of high water. Lone wolf survival is a myth. Strong communities survive and thrive in and fight through the devastation and chaos
Gear buys options. Your mind keeps you moving, but your gear keeps you alive. A k, reflective straps, a Windstorm whistle—they’re tools that tip the fight your way. Built in America, built for people who don’t fold when it gets ugly.
Don’t Wait for the Water
Hurricanes and floods will come. You can’t stop the storm. But you can outlast it.
Get your plan squared away. Get your pack staged. And when the water rises, you won’t be caught wishing—you’ll be moving.
At Squatch Survival Gear, we don’t build toys. We build packs, pouches, and gear that keep Americans alive when the world gets ugly. Made in the USA. Built for survival.
Don’t wait for the water. Get ready now.