The water rarely kills in the house — mostly in the water.
Most flood victims don't die in their own house, but during avoidable acts in or at the water: driving through flooded streets, entering submerged cellars (power!), salvaging valuables in the danger zone. Inside buildings the danger is greatest on the ground floor and in the cellar — exactly where the street-level neighbour lives. The bulk of the damage is material: cellar, underground garage, ground floor, vehicle, documents.
No blackout — the danger is the rising water.
Unlike a power cut, there is no nationwide collapse here: in Switzerland a flood does not trigger a large-scale blackout, infrastructure failures stay local and temporary. The strongest lesson lies in the second night: for days the level rises slowly and as announced — then comes the thunderstorm night with the flash-flood peak, and in the dark, tired, the preparatory decisions of the calm days are rewarded or punished.
What really happens in 72 hours
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Friday — The advance warning.
The natural-hazard warning channel warns, the level rises. The course is set now — begin property protection, move the car and valuables up, involve the neighbour. The slow lead time is the decisive window.
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Night into Saturday — The steady rise.
The slow river flood: the level keeps rising evenly over the night. Whoever, in the dark and tired, sees the water too late loses cellar and underground garage.
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Saturday — The level at the limit.
The official situation recommends evacuation for low-lying neighbourhoods. Neighbourly help, checking on the at-risk person, flooded routes — don't drive through the water.
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Night into Sunday — The thunderstorm night.
The flash-flood peak: a thunderstorm cell makes the level jump in surges. Right now property protection pays off — or its absence takes revenge.
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Sunday / Monday — Crest and retreat.
The highest level, the rescue of the trapped person — 118 fire brigade. On Monday the level falls; only pump out once the groundwater has fallen, document the damage for the insurance.
The deadliest mistakes
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Stepping into the flooding cellar.
The central danger to life is inside buildings, especially in the cellar and underground garage. A cellar fills in under a minute, the murky water takes your sight, and with the power on it's deadly. No material value makes up for that — avoid the room, only cut the power if it's safe, otherwise 118.
Protects you: Protection in floods First aid: resuscitation
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Driving or wading through flooded streets.
“Turn around, don't drown”: you can't tell the water's depth. About 30 cm of flowing water sweeps a vehicle away, a few centimetres are enough for a person (rule of thumb). A car in the water sinks in three to four minutes; you escape in the first minute through the side window — window down, seatbelt off, abandon the car. Whoever wades on foot may also step into an invisible manhole or drain cover lifted by the water pressure, and be swept away. Underpasses and underground garages are sinks — the escape route leads uphill, against the water.
Protects you: Getting around in an emergency Hazard: flooding
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Not bringing the street-level neighbour up in time.
Whoever lives on the ground floor or in the cellar and is alone is most at risk. Vertical evacuation — upward, not out into the water — saves lives. Firm arrangements and regular contact with the most vulnerable are the decisive preparedness.
Protects you: Family emergency plan First aid: hypothermia
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Going into the water without cover and without secured documents.
The same material damage ends for the insured as “replaced” and for the uninsured as a financial catastrophe. Natural-hazard damage is usually covered, but groundwater is excluded and sewer backflow only with the “building water” add-on. Secure documents watertight and up high, photograph the damage before clearing up.
Protects you: Secure documents Build an emergency supply
Radio in the blackout — your fallback
In a flood no communication collapses — here, what matters is that you read the warnings and reach the most vulnerable. Four channels count in the game as in reality:
- Natural-hazard warning channel & MeteoSwiss. The official flood warning has five levels (green to dark red) and is tied to discharge volumes. From level 3: follow the situation; from level 4/5 keep away from waterways. The lead time is the decisive window.
- Alertswiss & sirens. Alertswiss (alarm/warning/information) and the sirens: the general alarm (a rising and falling wail, one minute) means listen to the radio and wait. The water alarm below dams — 12 low continuous tones of 20 seconds — means: leave the area, get to higher ground, without waiting for instructions.
- Radio during a power cut. If the power fails in a flooded neighbourhood, the battery- or crank-powered radio carries the official announcements and evacuation calls — even when phone and app have long since gone dead.
- 118 — the emergency number in a flood. For flooding, trapped persons and pumping operations, 118 (fire brigade) is the right emergency number; 144 (ambulance) is for the injured and near-drowning. A cellar under water with no danger to people is not an emergency call.
To remember (in the game as in reality): use the lead time — backwater valve, stop boards, car and documents up high. Never drive through flooded streets, never step into the flooding cellar. Bring those living at street level vertically to safety. And for a trapped person: call 118. The bulk of the damage is material — and insurable.
More in our radio section: Protection in floods First aid: resuscitation Situation in Switzerland
Frequently asked questions
Is the scenario realistic?
The sequence follows the two documented flood types: the slow, announced river flood over days and the nocturnal flash flood from a thunderstorm cell. The concrete house, the characters and the exact course are fictional. The reality anchor matters: in Switzerland a flood does not trigger a large-scale blackout — infrastructure failures stay local and temporary.
Why is the second night so dangerous?
Because the slow and the fast flood type meet there: for days the level rises as announced, then a thunderstorm cell brings the flash-flood peak — at night, in the dark, when you're tired and see the water too late. That's exactly when the preparatory decisions of the calm days — property protection, car up, evacuation plan — are rewarded or their absence is punished.
Are the centimetre figures accurate?
The exact cm levels are a reasoned scaling, not a measurement. The thresholds (about 15/30/60 cm) are meant as a rule of thumb, not as an official Swiss figure. Qualitatively it's documented: just a few centimetres of flowing water already knocks a person over, about 30 cm a vehicle. The official warnings have five levels and are tied to discharge volumes.
What does insurance pay — and what not?
Natural-hazard damage (flood, inundation) is compulsorily covered in most cantons. But there are gaps: groundwater is excluded, sewer backflow only covered with the “building water” add-on — precisely the processes that flood the cellar. The building is insured by the building insurance, household contents by the tenant themselves. Cover and deductible vary by canton; check your own policy.
Does the game store data?
No. No cookie, no account, no login, no tracking. Your progress sits solely in the address (URL) of this page — close the tab and it's gone. You can share the URL or save it as a bookmark; it contains no personal data, only your decisions.
Why is it almost always the neighbour and not me?
Because she lives at street level and alone: inside buildings the danger is greatest on the ground floor and in the cellar, and whoever is alone notices the distress too late and can less easily get themselves up high. The acting player usually comes through the flood — unless they overestimate themselves and go into the water or the flooding cellar.