10 tips to protect your home in case of flood

Extreme weather events cause more water damage than ever before. Protect your home and family before, during and after a flood.

Before the Flood Season: Get Ready

Be prepared and do some maintenance work in your home to reduce the risk of flooding in your area:

• Take inventory of your belongings using photos or videos.

• Prepare an emergency plan that provides for a gathering place.

• Prepare an emergency kit to deal with the first 72 hours.

• Clean drains, gutters, downspouts and sumps.

During a flood: Protect yourself

If there is a threat of imminent flooding, take the following steps as soon as you can act safely:

• Turn off the power, gas and water, and unplug electrical appliances if you can do it safely.

• Go upstairs.

• Move valuables from the basement to the upper floors.

• Mount large appliances on blocks of wood or cement. If this is not possible, consider securing them to the ground and protecting them with a containment wall or screen.

After a flood: Persevere

Before returning home, check to see if there are potable water, a bathroom and a functioning sewage system. Also, be sure to have a green light from all utility providers and that the structure of the house is safe - be aware of curved walls, damaged floors and broken glass and other debris.

Once back home, take immediate action to reduce and report the damage:

• Discard standing water and damaged materials.

• Check for signs of mold in the first 24 to 48 hours.

• Clean, disinfect and dry each room that has been contaminated by the flood.

• Run the fans.

• Take pictures or turn a video of the damage.

10 tips to protect your home from floods

1. Caulk around the windows of the basement and the bottom of the doors on the ground floor.

2. Make sure that the downspouts discharge the water at a sufficient distance from the foundation of the house to flow in the opposite direction to them.

3. You could also equip your home with a sump pump and check valve floor drains.

4. Move furniture, appliances and other property above ground level. Do not store your important documents in the basement. Keep them on the upper floors, which will protect them against flooding.

5. Take special precautions to protect the heaters from electricity, natural gas or propane. Close the basement heaters and the gas valve outside the house.

6. Shut off power to your home completely. Only do this if the area around the fuse box is completely dry. Do not attempt to cut off the electricity supply if there is water nearby.

7. If the floor is wet near the fuse box or distribution panel, stand on a dry board and turn off the switch or circuit breaker with a dry wooden stick. When turning off the power, stand out of the box and turn your face.

8. Place toxic substances such as pesticides and insecticides in a safe place to prevent pollution of the flooded area.

9. Remove the toilet bowls and plug the drain pipe and the drain in the basement with wooden plugs. Remove the splint from the gutters if it is connected to the sewer of the house.