Floods – Get Prepared
It is important to prepare for floods and to know what to do before, during, and after a flood. Remember, do not cross a flooded area unless you have no other option.
How to prepare before a flood
You can help protect yourself and your household by understanding this natural hazard and by following basic steps.
- Prepare your emergency kit. Learn more about what items to put in your kit, including quick and easy steps you can take right away
- Make a household emergency plan. Consider the specific needs of all members of your household, including older adults, children, pets, and anyone with special health needs
- To better prepare for a flooding event, make sure that you know the risks specific to your community, geography, and region:
- depending on the geography of a region, low-lying areas can be vulnerable to flooding
- get information from your provincial, territorial, or local government on flood risk in your area
- consider purchasing flood insurance, if possible
- Stay informed of weather conditions and advisories in your area. While flooding advisories and warnings are issued by provincial and territorial authorities, you can stay up-to-date on developing weather through Environment and Climate Change Canada services
- Public weather alerts notify people in Canada when severe weather is forecast or is occurring
- Use the WeatherCAN app to receive push notifications of official weather warnings
- Receive weather forecasts, conditions, and other weather information by telephone through Hello Weather
Prepare your home
- Store important documents at a higher level in your home to protect them from flood damage
- Make copies of important documents or digitize them. Include important documents in your emergency kit
- Purchase sandbags to prevent water from entering your home
- A sandbag wall needs to be two or three times as wide as it is tall
- A larger perimeter will require more effort to build and maintain
- Plan where you would place sandbags before an emergency
- Follow the advice and instructions from emergency responders and local officials
- Learn how to turn off the utilities such as electricity and gas in your residence. Local authorities may instruct you to shut off utilities
- Determine if there are any special precautions required to safeguard electrical, natural gas, fuel oil, or propane heating equipment. Contact your electricity or fuel supplier for instructions
- In a rural farm setting, sheltering livestock may be the wrong thing to do during a flood. Leaving animals unsheltered is preferable because flood waters could trap animals inside a barn
Reduce the risk of flooding
- Grade the soil around your home to slope away from your foundation
- Keep rain gutters and downspouts clear and ensure that they drain at least two metres away from your foundation
- Put weather protection sealant around basement windows and the base of ground-level doors
- Consider installing a sump pump and backflow valve or backflow preventer in your basement. A sump pump can remove water that may be accumulating near the foundation or standing water. A backflow valve prevents sewage from flowing into your home if the sanitary sewer is overloaded
- Contact your local municipality for details on flood risk reduction in your area
- Learn more about how to get Flood Ready and prepare for flooding
Prepare your vehicle
- Make sure that your vehicle has enough fuel. If evacuation becomes necessary, there may not be time to stop for gas
- Depending on your region and on the distance that you might need to drive, you may want to purchase additional approved gas containers
- Keep an emergency kit in your vehicle
During a flood
Flood waters can be dangerous and unpredictable. Even floods that look small can be deadly. The best thing you can do when you encounter a flood is to move away from the flood water.
- Avoid crossing flooded areas
- Stay tuned to information from local officials on what to do to stay safe during a flood
- If you are on foot, fast water could sweep you away even if it appears shallow
- If you are in a car, do not drive through flood waters or underpasses. The water may be deeper than it looks and your car can easily get swept away by fast water
- Avoid crossing bridges if the water is close to or touching the ceiling of the bridge, and flowing quickly
- Follow the routes specified by officials. Don't take shortcuts. They could lead you to a blocked or dangerous area
- Flooding may cause power outages.
- Prevent carbon monoxide poisoning in a power outage. Never use gas-powered appliances (generators, barbecue, camp stoves, unvented fireplaces) indoors
- Operate portable generators at least 6 metres (20 feet) from all homes or buildings
- Never operate a fuel-burning generator or fuel-burning cooking equipment such as BBQs or camping stoves inside a home, garage, basement, crawlspace or shed, or under a covered area outside the house (such as under an awning or gazebo). Operate portable generators at least 6 metres (20 feet) from all homes or buildings
- Direct exhaust away from open windows and doors. Close all windows and doors closest to or downwind from the generator
- Do not operate generators in flooded areas
If flood waters approach your home
- Set up sandbags around your home. Follow the advice and instructions from emergency responders and local officials
- Disconnect eavestroughs if they are connected to municipal sewer systems
- Do not attempt to shut off electricity if any water is present, as water and live electrical wires can be lethal
- Leave your home immediately and do not return until authorities indicate it is safe to do so
- During a flood, do not use well water. Flooding can contaminate well water with sewage and other pollutants
If you need to evacuate
- Leave your home when you are advised to do so by local emergency authorities. Ignoring such a warning could jeopardize the safety of your household or rescuers
- Take your emergency kit with you and follow the routes specified by officials. Don’t take shortcuts as they could lead you to a blocked or dangerous area
- Make arrangements for pets and other animals
- Time permitting, leave a note informing others when you left and where you went
- Do not return home until authorities have advised that it is safe to do so
After a flood
Use extreme caution when returning to your home after a flood. Restore your home to good order as soon as possible to protect your health and prevent further damage to the house and its contents.
- Do not return home until authorities have advised that it is safe to do so. Flood damaged buildings may be structurally unsafe
- If the main power switch was not turned off prior to flooding, do not re-enter your home until a qualified electrician has determined it is safe to do so
- Appliances that may have been flooded pose a risk of shock or fire when turned on
- If you have a private well, don’t turn on the well pump because there is a risk of electrical shock
- Hire a certified well contractor to inspect your well and its wiring before use
- Don’t use your well water until you get advice from your local health authority on clean-up, well disinfection, and water testing to make sure your water is safe to use
Cleaning up after a flood
Clean up flooded areas around your residence and in your home as soon as it is safe to do so after a flood.
- If possible, clean up within 48 hours to avoid mould growth
- Check for signs of mould. You can generally clean small and medium sized areas of mould by yourself however you should consider getting professional help with extensive mould growth
- Dispose of contaminated household items that cannot be dried
- Take steps to protect your household from food borne illness
- Follow step-by-step procedures for safely cleaning flood damaged areas
- Date modified: