The obvious answer is to build only on the highest piece of land you can find!
Of course, these are generally zoned for residential, so we business people get the low-lying parcels to develop. In fact, there is one major shopping center in the city of San Diego, California that was basically built on a flood plain. Every time (virtually every year) it rains heavily, the river crests and floods the parking lots and even some stores.
If your company is situated in a low-lying area that may be susceptible to flooding, your best plan is to have a flood plan.
The federal government has what is called "National Flood Insurance". Every insurance carrier (company) sells it, because it is backed by the U.S.
You can call your insurance agent and ask if your business location qualifies for it. Or at least find out if you are in a covered zone.
www.fema.gov will get you to the agency that manages the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP)
If the electricity has not already shut itself off, locate the Main Breaker Panel and turn the Main Circuit Breaker to OFF. If you are still on a fuse system, you want to pull the main fuses. BE CAREFUL... there may be electricity in standing water and you could become electrocuted! Wear rubber boots and rubber gloves... or STAY AWAY! If you don't know what you are doing, let a professional do it!
Keep all employees and by-standers away from potential injury until you are confident no electrical problems exist or your local power company's representative is on the scene. Remember, you and your company could be liable for any injuries sustained.
Once you are sure power is OFF, locate all gas appliances (water heaters, kilns, furnaces or dryers) and turn off their pilot light's gas supply. BE CAREFUL not to use an open flame while you are doing this (matches or lit cigarettes/cigar/pipes) and try not to turn ON or OFF any light switches if you smell gas. The spark could be the last thing you experience. All gas (natural, liquid propane or butane) all has a special chemical added to make it smell badly. Stink is more the proper term. You can't miss it. If you smell it, you should NOT be there!
Once things have calmed down and the water has receded, mopping up and the squeegee of water and mud begins.
Now is when you understand what the benefit of having a Disaster Recovery Plan and Business Continuation Plan really means. These plans would have already thought out all the possibilities and documented all the "What If" scenarios for you. A properly constructed set of plans is like a cookbook, created by a chef. Follow the directions and it will turn out great. No cookbook? Now is the time to contact the Objective Group.
FEMA stands for the Federal Emergency Management Administration. Operated by the U.S. Government, they manage all natural disasters... from flood to hurricane... earthquake to fires. They are the federal government's response team. They also operate the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).
NFIP stands for the National Flood Insurance Program. This enables insurance carriers (companies) to offer inexpensive insurance that covers catastrophic flooding. the NFIP is operated under the auspices of the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA).
You may contact FEMA at www.fema.gov