Local flooding continues to be a challenge to deal with and we want to connect with you to discuss the importance of being “Flood Ready”.
Imagine the burden a flood could have on you and your family. The damaging effect to your property will be hard on your finances. Being displaced from your home will cause major disruption to your daily routine. Your sentimental possessions could be lost forever due to water damage. These are just some of the issues you will need to deal with and they can be hazardous to your physical and mental health.
The spring season rainy days should serve as a reminder to be flood ready. Floods can happen anywhere, anytime and occur suddenly such as flash floods. Even in low risk areas you could be impacted. Here we have provided some tips to help protect you and your family’s safety in the event of such a destructive event.
Protect Your Family
- Use A Weather App. Staying informed is an easy way to be prepared. If you are alerted to expect a flood, you can better prepare you and your family for the worst possible circumstance.
- Have A Plan. Make sure you and your family know what to do in the event of a flood. Designate an area in your house/route for evacuation. In addition, leave if it is recommended to evacuate, leave and don’t wait to be ordered to evacuate.
- Prepare A Contact List. Identify who needs to be contacted, why, and when.
- Create An Emergency Kit. Pack a kit with items such as food, first aid, any pills/prescription medication you need and copies of important documents you do not want to loose.
- Important Documents. Store important documents in a safe area or create digital backups. Consider using MyHBG to store and access your insurance documents online.
Protect Your Property
- Downspouts need to point away from the home – Ideally 5′ from the foundation
- Valuables should be stored above ground level and not in the basement.
- Prepare to turn off your home electricity, gas and water if impacted by a flood.
- Consider landscaping around the home to mitigate soil erosion.
- Use storm shields or sandbags on basement windows and doors.
- Make sure grading of your property directs water away from your home.
- Consider water prevention measures such as sump pump or backwater valve.
- Post flood – Make sure it’s safe to enter your property and keep the electricity off. Use waterproof gloves, boots and a facemask when cleaning up.
Home Insurance Overland Water Protection
- Insurance Protection. make sure you have your insurance sorted out. Ensuring the right coverage is secured is paramount to recovering valuables in the event of an emergency. Important to note; home policies typically exclude floods so consider adding coverage to your policy if you want to protect your valuables. Contact a Highcourt Breckles Insurance Broker to review your home insurance and water damage coverage.
Visit Canada’s Get Prepared website for important tips on how to stay safe before, during, and after a flood.
Real Life Flood Stories – Consider Overland Water Insurance
Hell And High Water
Toronto’s sewer system was not built to handle the large quantities of water we get today. The century old system combines human waste and rainfall in aged parts of the city, and when the system gets overflowed, proceeds to push the combined sewage back into peoples basements, flooding streets and destroying homes. Check out the article below to learn how you can try and mitigate this risk. Read More
Rising water levels in cottage country
Many people think that flooding is an issue for urban center’s that don’t have the infrastructure to handle heavy rain fall. Unfortunately, the change in weather patterns can affect all areas across the country. Flooding seems to be a pattern in cottage country. We hope damages are minimal and don’t impact the beginning of our summer cottage memories. Read More
The Ninja Storm
Ninja storms… A new phenomenon in Toronto, a storm that strikes without warning, floods entire areas but spares others, and disappears as quickly as it appeared. These storms are extremely dangerous, and you should be warned. Toronto does not have the infrastructure to deal with this heavy rainfall. Check out the article below to learn more about how these horrific storms strike. Read More
Toronto’s density and old sewer system
With the old Toronto sewer system being incapable of handling our changing weather, we must look for alternatives. The city of Toronto is exploring options to limit the human wastewater that is released upon the sewer system being overwhelmed. Check out the link below to learn more about the extreme problem we face , and what the city of Toronto is going to do about it. Read More
Water Is The New Fire
“We’re definitely seeing an increase in urban flooding everywhere — it’s not just Toronto, it’s everywhere across the country and it’s because we are paving over what would normally soak up the water — the water has nowhere to go,” Peddle said in an interview. Read More
Lessons learned from Canada flooding
Consider using a Highcourt Breckles insurance broker when reviewing your insurance. As an insurance broker, we can help you understand the insurance coverage differences each company has. Having a policy with $10,000 cap in flood or sewer backup coverage is not good enough. Read More
There will be floods — and Ontario’s not ready for them
Highcourt Breckles met with Carol Solis to hear about her flood story. Great to see her in this article continuing to build awareness about how devastating floods can be. Consult with Highcourt Breckles to see how you can better prepare for a flood. Read More