Why flooding matters in Canada
Public Safety Canada ranks floods as the country's most frequent natural hazard, and about 80% of major Canadian cities lie wholly or partly in flood zones. You do not need a river at the end of the street. Intense summer storms can overwhelm storm drains and send water up through basement floor drains in neighbourhoods that have never flooded before.
A flood rarely stays a water problem. It often cuts power, closes roads, and contaminates tap water and wells, so the preparations overlap with power outages and water disruptions.
Before: lower the damage and decide when you will leave
Start by finding out your risk. Many municipalities and conservation authorities publish flood maps. Then ask your insurer exactly what your policy covers, because overland flooding and sewer backup are often separate, optional coverages.
- Test the sump pump, and consider a battery backup and a backwater valve installed by a licensed plumber.
- Move documents, electronics and anything irreplaceable off the basement floor.
- Keep downspouts pointed away from the foundation and window wells clear.
- Learn how to switch off electricity at the main panel, and only do it while the area around the panel is dry.
- Keep a packed go-bag for each person and a full tank of fuel when flood warnings are issued.
- Store drinking water. Tap water may not be safe for days afterwards.
During a flood
Follow local alerts on a phone or a battery radio and leave as soon as you are told to. Moving water is stronger than it looks, and the road underneath may be gone, so do not walk or drive through it. If you are trapped in a building, go up, not down, and call 911.
Stay out of a flooded basement while the power is on. Water and live wiring together can kill, and the danger is invisible. If water is near outlets, the panel or appliances, keep out and call your utility.
Afterwards, and common mistakes
Treat floodwater as contaminated. It typically carries sewage, and often fuel and chemicals as well. Wear boots and gloves for clean-up, wash your hands often, and throw out food that touched the water.
- Drinking tap or well water before it is cleared. Wait for the all-clear from your municipality, and have a flooded well tested.
- Trusting a camping filter with floodwater. Most portable filters remove bacteria and parasites but not viruses, and none make water contaminated with fuel or chemicals safe. Use stored water first. The Home Water Kit is built around stored water, with filtration and tablets as backup.
- Running pumps or generators indoors. Fuel-burning engines produce carbon monoxide. Keep them outside, at least 6 metres from the building.
- Going home too early. Wait until officials say it is safe, then photograph the damage for your insurer before you clean up.