No one wants to think about their home flooding, but not knowing what to do when disaster strikes can dramatically increase the amount of property damage that you suffer and even put you at a greater risk for illness and injury. To help you learn more about what to do before, during and after a flood, we’ve compiled the following list of tips:
- Pay attention to evacuation notices and plan to evacuate. Monitor your local television and radio stations to determine if you’re in an evacuation zone. Even if you’re not in the danger zone, make arrangements to evacuate and be ready to go just in case, as floodwaters are not always predictable.
- Evacuate if told. While you may be concerned about the safety of your home or think that you can wait out the storm, don’t stay behind. You’re not only putting yourself at risk by remaining in an evacuation area, but you may also put emergency workers in jeopardy if you remain in your home and must be rescued.
- Get your home ready. Whether or not you’re in an evacuation zone, you should prepare your home for floodwaters. Move essential items from the basement and first floor onto the second floor or attic, where they are less likely to sustain damage.
- Supply yourself with drinking water. If you don’t have time to stock up on bottled water, sterilize your tub with hot water and bleach, and then rinse it several times. Fill the tub up to the brim with water, so that you have plenty of drinking water on hand in an emergency.
- Avoid the floodwaters. Floodwater is often contaminated with bacteria, so it’s important that you don’t attempt to walk through, swim or wade through floodwaters in your home. While you may be anxious to begin clean-up, you should wait until the water recedes before tackling the mess.
- Get professional clean-up help. Following a major flood, homes are susceptible to the growth of toxic moulds and may harbour bacteria that were introduced by the floodwaters. Everyday cleaning products are often ineffective for cleaning up after a flood, so it’s best to enlist the help of a professional service with sanitisers, wet vacuums, dryers and other equipment.
Sydney Emergency Plumbing has experience with handling flood clean-up in both residential and commercial settings. We offer 24-hour emergency service, so contact us first for help.
