Evacuation remains the leading action recommended throughout the literature on flash floods. However, this paper argues that sheltering-in-place may in fact lead to fewer deaths in certain situations. The investigation is carried out via several methods. A literature review on both evacuation and “sheltering- in-place” compared with flood fatalities is conducted, flash flood fatalities in Australia are analyzed, and lastly, interviews with emergency personnel are conducted. Findings show that the majority of fatalities during flash floods (75.5%) occur when people are outside (on foot or in a vehicle). Thus, because of this statistic as well from information gained from the interviews with emergency managers, for rapid flash flood situations, the authors recommend that sheltering-in-place become a viable option during future rapid events.
