...and thou shalt come into the ark, thou,
and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons' wives with thee.
Genesis 6:18
The Flood story, as known in many cultures around the world, would have been "fresh" in the minds of these people only a short 
"This cylinder seal impression recovered from Uruk (biblical Erech) ...by archaeologists .... It depicts an Akkadian king in a boat with crates and animals, and Sumerian boatmen. The flood legend of Ziusudra mentions Puzur-Amurri, the boatman." CGO