The power of water is nothing to take lightly. I have lived through three major flooding events here in Iowa. I have some great photos too. I know that water can change things quickly and it is easy to get caught in flash floods if you do not take precautions. Listen to the weather channels and forecasters they can save your life in the event of floods.
Back in my Army days I was on an anti-drug mission in Peru that changed focus due to some catastrophic flooding. We went to a town called Esmeralda (I think) and helped recovery operations. The people there were so grateful. It's really quite a beautiful area of the world and the beaches there are wide and clean. We'll, they were back then at least.