Top 5 Ways to Prepare Your Home for Flood Season

Top 5 Ways to Prepare Your Home for Flood Season

Floods are common in BC and are not limited to any particular time of year. Due to heavy rain and melting snow, the worst flooding usually occurs in the spring or early in the summer. Flooding can result in damage to buildings, transportation difficulties, power outages, and landslides, along with risks to the people living in the area. With our climate changing over the years, annual precipitation has increased throughout BC, but summers have been drier than in past years. Together, these factors contribute to increasingly destructive weather events including flooding.

If you live in an area prone to flooding, or if you just want to be proactive, there are several ways you can prepare for a flood. However, no floodproofing methods are guaranteed to completely protect a building and its contents from flood damage. The best method of reducing risk to people and property is to avoid properties that are susceptible to flooding. Before purchasing a property for your family or for a business, find out if the property is in a flood zone or if it is susceptible to flooding. If it is, continue your search for a more suitable location!

Here are some simple steps you can take in and around your home and property to help prevent damage should flooding occur:

Top 5 Steps Everyone Should Take:

1. Valuables and important documents should be stored in watertight containers or in second-floor storage areas.
2. Storm drains must be kept clear of debris.
3. In the winter, snow should be cleared at least 1.5 metres from the foundation of the building.
4. Landscaping should be done in such a way that water drains away from the foundation. Check to see that water drains away from your property as well as your neighbours’ properties.
5. Make sure any downspouts from your gutters take water at least 2 metres from your basement wall, and clean your gutters regularly.

Further Steps to Take That Are Recommended on the Government of BC Website:

1. Large appliances, furnaces, water heaters, and electrical panels should be raised on blocks above potential water levels.
2. Oil tanks or fuel tanks should be anchored to the floor.
3. Backflow valves should be installed on basement floor drains, washing machine drains, toilets, and sink drains.
4. Electrical sockets should be raised above potential water levels.
5. Weather protection sealant should be applied around basement windows and the base of ground-level doors.
6. Sump pumps should be installed and checked regularly.
7. Flood-resistant drywall and exterior doors should be installed.

 

Make an Emergency Plan

Along with the 5 steps mentioned above, you should always have an emergency plan. An emergency plan previews how you and your household will respond to a disaster if it happens. This is one of the best things you can do to prepare for a flood or any other type of disaster. Knowing what to do will reduce anxiety and help keep you focused and safe. Decision making is much more effective at times of calm, focused thinking rather than in the heat of stress and panic! Have a plan in place!

Make Grab-and-Go Bags

As flood waters get close to your home, you may be forced to evacuate. If you have prepared a grab-and-go bag, this can be a much simpler process. This small emergency kit can be taken with you, speeding up your readiness to flee a dangerous situation. The grab-and-go bag should include the following:

1. Food (ready to eat) and water
2. Phone charger and battery bank
3. Small battery-powered or hand-cranked radio
4. Battery-powered or hand-cranked flashlight
5. Extra batteries
6. Small first-aid kit and personal medications
7. Personal toiletries and items such as an extra pair of glasses or contact lenses
8. Copy of your emergency plan
9. Copies of important documents such as insurance papers and identification
10. Cash in small bills
11. Local map with your family meeting place identified
12. Seasonal clothing and an emergency blanket
13. Pen and notepad
14. Whistle

Most people need about four litres of water per day, but some individuals such as children, nursing mothers, or people who are sick may require more. And hot temperatures can double water needs. Pets need about 30 ml of water per kg of body weight per day. Purchase bottled water for your emergency kit. Keep it in its original container in a cool and dark place that’s easy to reach. Do not open the water until you need it, do not use water that’s past the expiry or “best before” date printed on the bottle, and do not use water from toilet tanks or bowls, radiators, waterbeds, swimming pools, or spas.

Research Insurance Options

Check with your insurance representative to determine if sewer backup and/or residential flood insurance is available for your property to add as an endorsement. Add your insurance information to your emergency plan to be sure it’s handy when you need it. Contact us today to find out more.

Build a Support Network

Planning and preparing for emergencies and natural disasters is not easy, but a strong support network allows two or more people to help each other in an emergency:

1. Plan for your support network to immediately check on you after a disaster.
2. Exchange important keys.
3. Share any relevant medical information.
4. Decide how you’ll contact each other in an emergency. Do not rely on a phone.
5. Show them where you keep emergency supplies.
6. Share copies of your emergency plan.
7. Agree to always share when you are going out of town and when you will return.

Most of the information in this article was found on the Government of British Columbia website: https://www2.gov.bc.ca. For further information on preparing for the possibility of a flood, as well as what to do during the flood and tips for recovering afterward, you can visit the site and search for “Be prepared for floods.”