BC Property Protection 101: Preparing for Flood Season

Flood season may not be upon us in BC until the early spring, but now is the time to prepare. Although the heavy rain and melting snow likely won’t bring severe floods for a few more months, floods can occur at any time. With the global warming phenomenon we are living through right now, it could be sooner than you think.

An ounce of flood prevention can go a long way. Little things like regularly maintaining your gutters, downspouts, and drainage systems and keeping them in good condition can be a saving grace when the rains come. Additionally, consider installing a sump pump and purchasing a generator in the event the power goes out. Also, regularly monitor weather alerts to stay informed about forecasts and flood warnings and regularly inspect your home’s flood protection measures. For example, do you know where you would go to purchase emergency sandbags? If not, make a point of mapping that out.

When we get really bad storms, those affected often lose power and their ability to communicate. Having an emergency plan in place, particularly an emergency evacuation route or communication strategy, is key. It’s very stressful when you can’t get a hold of loved ones during an emergency.

Things can be replaced, so keeping your people safe should be your #1 concern. In addition to having an emergency plan in place, you should prepare emergency supply kits with water, food, medication, first aid items, and anything else you will need in the event you need to evacuate.

A good practice is to put all your important documents such as birth certificate, passports, insurance papers, etc. into one single manilla envelope. In the event of an emergency, all of your important documents are kept in a single area so they can be grabbed quickly if you get evacuated. This is a practice the military recommends to their families when they are posted to an area which has a high probability of natural disasters. In BC, we live on a geologic fault, so the likelihood of a major earthquake is always present.

Some other measures you can take are annually sealing all cracks and gaps in foundations, walls, and windows, which break down relatively quickly in the heat and cold; using weather-proofing material; and installing sump pumps, which can help remove excess water in the event of a flash flood.

Backwater valves are often the biggest point of failure in a flood. Many of us don’t realize these need to be cleaned annually as well. This means that before flood season, if you haven’t already, you should be contacting your plumber to have your backwater valve inspected and cleaned. A well-maintained backwater valve can help prevent sewage backup from entering your home in a flood.

Shelving is another way to prevent flood damage. Because flood water typically only rises two to three feet, installing shelving at three feet and above in your basement and placing stored valuables and machinery on these shelves could significantly reduce the amount of your claim should a flood strike your neighborhood.

Historically, catastrophic weather events were few and far between. Now, we seem to be having 100-year record-breaking events taking place left, right, and center. Just because something hasn’t happened in your area before doesn’t mean that it can’t. Stay vigilant and do one more thing . . .

Protect Your Property with Waypoint Flood Insurance

Flood insurance is relatively new to personal lines insurance in BC, but it is now available on most risks in both personal and commercial lines. It is not, however, available to those located on a flood plain because the risk of flooding is too high. For those people, the province has an emergency fund that will cover most flood losses if you can show proof that the property is your primary residence and that you did not qualify for flood insurance. Please note, if you are eligible to purchase flood insurance and opt out, the province will not extend coverage in the event a flood damages your property.

If you have not yet explored the possibility of flood insurance or if you are ready to purchase a policy for your property, reach out to Waypoint so we can search all available markets and connect you with the coverage that’s right for you. Even if you’ve been declined by a previous broker or agency, we invite you to peruse the wide variety of carriers and policies we have access to. Just because one source tells you “No” doesn’t mean that there isn’t coverage available out there for you.

We also want to hear from you if you are about to purchase a home. Realtors and sellers will often forget to disclose if a house is in a flood zone, which impacts the property’s ability to qualify for insurance. If you are in the home-buying process, we invite you to come in, and we will search the property for you to determine whether or not it’s in a flood zone and help you assess your options either way. We’re here to help.