Flood Guide
Practical steps to prepare before flooding, stay safer as water rises and clean up and assess the damage afterwards.
PrepMates preparedness resource
Printable Flood Guide
Save it, print it or keep a copy with your emergency supplies.
View Printable GuideFlooding can happen quickly.
Heavy rain, overflowing rivers, flash flooding and overwhelmed drainage systems can affect homes, roads and communities with little warning. Flooding can also isolate households and disrupt power, water, transport and other essential services.
Do not walk, swim or drive through floodwater. Conditions can be deeper, faster and more contaminated than they appear. Always follow current instructions from emergency authorities.
Prepare before the water rises.
Understand your local flood risk, know where you will go if you need to leave and prepare supplies before access, power or other services are disrupted.
Know your flood risk.
Check local flood information and understand whether your home, workplace, school or usual travel routes could be affected by flooding or become isolated.
Make an evacuation plan.
Decide where your household will go if you need to leave and identify more than one safe route where possible.
- Know how to reach higher ground
- Plan a safer destination
- Identify backup routes
- Include pets and animals
- Plan for medications and mobility needs
Prepare your property.
- Keep drains and gutters clear where appropriate
- Move valuables and important items higher
- Store chemicals and hazardous materials above flood level
- Secure loose outdoor items
- Know how utilities can be isolated if authorities advise
Keep essentials ready.
- Drinking water
- First aid and medications
- Emergency radio
- Torches and lighting
- Backup phone power
- Long-life food
- Important documents
- Personal and pet supplies
Choose the right setup.
Flooding can require a quick evacuation or leave households isolated without normal services. Prepare for both possibilities with portable emergency supplies and a larger home setup.
Evacuation ready.
Backpack-based emergency kits designed to keep key supplies together if you need to leave home quickly.
Buddy Emergency Kit
A two-person emergency backpack designed to keep essential supplies together for evacuations, floods and unexpected disruptions.
View Buddy Kit →
Crew Emergency Kit
A four-person emergency backpack with essential supplies ready for families preparing for evacuation, flooding and other emergencies.
View Crew Kit →Home & extended preparedness.
Larger setups for households preparing for isolation, outages and disruption to essential services during severe weather.
Ultimate Storm Bucket
A compact four-person emergency setup with lighting, radio, backup power, first aid, water storage and other practical supplies for severe weather and service disruptions.
View Storm Bucket →
8-Person Mega Emergency Kit
A comprehensive emergency supply setup for larger households and groups, with lighting, power, first aid, water, shelter, tools and supporting supplies packed together in a heavy-duty storage crate.
View Mega Kit →Need individual flood essentials?
Browse emergency radios, backup power, first aid, water storage, waterproof gear, lighting and other useful preparedness supplies.
Move to safety and stay out of floodwater.
Act early.
Flood and flash-flood conditions can change quickly. Follow evacuation instructions and move to a safer area or higher ground when required.
Stay informed.
Monitor official weather warnings, emergency alerts, radio broadcasts and local authority advice for changing conditions, road closures and evacuation information.
Never enter floodwater.
Do not walk, swim or drive through floodwater. Water can move rapidly, hide damaged roads and debris, and may be contaminated with sewage, chemicals or other hazards. If a road is flooded, turn around and use another route.
Return safely. Clean up and assess.
Floodwater may have gone, but damaged buildings, contaminated surfaces, electrical hazards and unstable ground can remain.
Return only when it is safe.
Wait until emergency authorities advise that it is safe to return. Watch for damaged roads, unstable buildings, fallen powerlines, debris and contaminated floodwater.
Document the damage.
Where it is safe and practical, take photos or video of affected rooms, belongings and property damage before major clean-up or disposal. Contact your insurer early and follow their claims requirements.
Clean up carefully.
Treat floodwater and flood-affected surfaces as potentially contaminated. Wear appropriate protective equipment, wash hands thoroughly and follow local health guidance when cleaning and disinfecting affected areas.
Dry and inspect.
Remove water and moisture where it is safe to do so, ventilate affected areas and inspect for structural, electrical and mould-related damage. Use qualified professionals where required.
Assess before you discard.
Separate damaged items where practical and check insurer requirements before throwing significant belongings away. Keep receipts and records for clean-up, temporary repairs or replacement costs that may be relevant to your claim.
Flood checklist.
Before
- Know your local flood risk
- Make an evacuation plan
- Know the route to higher ground
- Prepare emergency supplies
- Move valuables higher
- Protect important documents
- Plan for pets and animals
- Check your insurance cover
During
- Act early if water is rising
- Follow evacuation instructions
- Move toward safer or higher ground
- Keep your emergency kit nearby
- Monitor official warnings
- Stay away from floodwater
- Never drive through flooded roads
After
- Wait until it is safe to return
- Watch for electrical and structural hazards
- Photograph damage before major clean-up
- Contact your insurer
- Wear protective equipment
- Clean and disinfect affected areas
- Dry the property where safe
- Keep receipts and records
Take the guide with you.
Save the visual Flood Guide to your phone, print a copy or keep one with your emergency supplies.
View Printable GuideFollow advice for your location.
Flood warnings, evacuation arrangements and recovery advice vary by region. Always use official local sources for current conditions and emergency instructions.
Australia
Follow Bureau of Meteorology warnings together with your state or territory emergency service, police, local council and emergency authority advice.
New Zealand
Follow MetService, Get Ready NZ, Civil Defence and local emergency authority advice for flood warnings, evacuation information and recovery guidance.
Be prepared. Stay informed.
PrepMates provides general preparedness information. Always follow current instructions from weather, police, emergency management, health and other relevant authorities for your location.