What do groundhogs and other subsurface-tunnel dwelling creatures do in heavy rains to avoid harm?

Question

I notice groundhogs and many other tunneling creatures in my yard, the same yard which became pretty flooded during heavy rainfall. I don't see wildlife out during rain storms, but not long after, they emerge and return to their regular daily behavior. What do the creatures living in tunnels underground do to avoid harm from flooding? The kind of harm I imagine them being susceptible to is drowning or damage to their tunnel. It could be that their tunnels get destroyed and they simply dig their way out and make a new one, in which case the only remaining question is how they avoid drowning while sheltering underground from storms. Even that question may be moot if they don't in fact shelter underground from storms, but instead shelter somewhere less susceptible to inundation like up in a tree. I originally had groundhogs in mind with this question, but if possible, I'm interested in answers that apply to various tunnel dwellers: groundhogs, chipmunks, ants, ground wasps, etc. I know many ground-dwelling insects live there for the moisture it provides, and during storms they'll come to the surface to enjoy the moisture there and avoid drowning (e.g. slugs, worms), but I don't think this applies to all insects and certainly doesn't apply to mammals who generally seek shelter from the rain.

Answer 1

Dirt, especially that of burrowing animals/insects, is usually very porous and easily breaks up. This means that the dirt is going to be fairly absorbant. Also the size of these underground dens and nests can be fairly large with multiple tunnels besides the ones the organisms are in at the moment of storm. This allows for escape from predators and adds more surface area for draining of water. In extreme cases, insects/mammals can be flushed out of their underground dens by flood waters, and depending on the mammal or organism, can die if during winter hibernation or wrong stage of insect life.