A round 11 million Americans are under flood alerts Saturday evening as a "ring of fire" weather pattern continues to impact the eastern two-thirds of the country through the weekend. A flash flood emergency was issued near the Washington, D.C., area, including suburban Maryland, such as Chevy Chase and Silver Spring until 9 p.m. ET.

“If you’ve never seen water rise in front of you in minutes, it’s hard to conceive of how quickly that can happen—and how quickly your life and property can be at risk,” said Rachel Hogan Carr, executive director of the Nurture Nature Center, a nonprofit focused on flood-risk communication.

As much as four inches of rain could fall on the UK today, raising the risk of flash flooding across the southeast as the weather front stretches further north through the rest of the day

Here's what to know about flash floods, emergency systems and how to stay safe as Florida is in the Atlantic hurricane season.

Two massive disasters this year are leading some to grapple with the question of how to get officials and the public to care and take action.