A flash flood emergency is different from a flash flood watch and a flash flood warning. A flash flood emergency is extremely rare and only issued for flood situations that are dire. This could be from intense rainfall in a short amount of time or from a levee failure.

Flash flood emergencies are limited to circumstances where flooding could lead to a “severe threat to human life and catastrophic damage from a flash flood that is happening or will happen soon,” according to the National Weather Service.

It’s important to know that water could rise extremely quickly and could result in water rescues and/or evacuations.

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It’s important to never ignore flash flood emergencies. Always have a way to receive weather alerts, even while sleeping and in the event of power loss. Click here to learn how to enable weather alerts on your phone. The most reliable way to get weather alerts (in the event of your cell phone battery dying) is a NOAA weather radio - which operates on batteries and will still operate without power and lack of cell phone service. Floods are the number two weather-related killer behind heat. Having a plan in place and knowing what to do in case a flash flood emergency is issued could save your life.

Jennifer Gray is a weather and climate writer for weather.com. She has been covering some of the world's biggest weather and climate stories for the last two decades.