If you live in New Zealand, you’ve probably experienced a flood at least once in your life because it is one of the country’s most frequent emergency events.
With heavy rains pouring, floodwaters can easily accumulate and get inside your home, causing some serious damages to your furniture, property, and even put you and your family in danger. But if there’s one thing you can do, it is to be ready before, during and after a flood by following these tips:
Before a flood:
- Prepare emergency survival kits for you and your family. This should include water, food, clothes, medication and other emergency supplies that should last you for at least 3 days.
- Know where you can evacuate if the water continues to rise. Find the nearest high ground and plan on how you can get there if you need to.
- Put all your valuables in the highest part of your house. This includes files, photographs, electronics and other things that you should keep dry.
During a flood:
- Tune in to the news to keep yourself informed on what’s happening in your area during a flood. If you are given instructions to evacuate, make sure that you move to higher ground immediately, especially if there’s flash flooding in your area.
- Make sure that all members of your family are together when the flooding starts, and have them prepare their emergency bags in case you need to leave right away.
- If you are required to evacuate, secure your home before leaving. Turn off all your utilities, disconnect all electrical appliances, and make sure that everything is secured properly to avoid further damage once the flooding is done.
- When evacuating, never walk through moving water or drive in water that’s six inches deep or more because that could cause your vehicle to malfunction or even get drifted away by the strong floodwater.
After a flood:
- Make sure that your water supply is safe to drink before consuming it.
- Wait for instructions from the authorities before going back to your home. And if you do so, drive only when the streets are clear. Avoid driving through moving water and avoid those areas that are heavily hit by floodwaters since they may be more susceptible to collapsing.
- Be careful when entering your home after a flood. If there is heavy floodwater still inside your house, make sure that you enter with caution because there might be some debris under the water that could make your home dangerous.
Finally, it’s very important to call the experts to help restore your home after a flood. Flood restoration Auckland specialists have the expertise and experience to get your house back to its pristine condition, no matter how much damage was caused by the flood. It’s more beneficial to hire professionals to ensure that everything is cleaned and restored properly so that you can live comfortably and safely in your home even after it was flooded.