Floods give you some warning and very little time. Preparation is mostly about deciding in advance.
The dangerous part of flooding is not depth but speed and contamination — moving water is stronger than it looks, and floodwater is never clean. Almost every good decision is one made before the water arrives.
This list covers what protects the house, what leaves with you, and what you need to return safely once the water has gone down.
Before the water
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Done in advance, in daylight, without hurrying.
Utility shut-off knowledge
Knowing where your water stopcock, gas valve and fuse box are — and being able to reach them in the dark — prevents a bad day from becoming a flooded or burning one.
Why you need it. Knowing where your water stopcock, gas valve and fuse box are — and being able to reach them in the dark — prevents a bad day from becoming a flooded or burning one.
What to look for. The right spanner beside the valve, a label on the fuse box, and a photo of each one on your phone. Practise finding them with the lights off.
Tarpaulin
A sheet of waterproof material covers a damaged roof, keeps belongings dry, becomes shade, or becomes shelter. Few things are this flexible.
Why you need it. A sheet of waterproof material covers a damaged roof, keeps belongings dry, becomes shade, or becomes shelter. Few things are this flexible.
What to look for. A reinforced tarp with eyelets, around 3 x 4 m, plus a length of paracord to tie it with.
Duct tape
Broken windows, split bags, cracked pipes and taped-up boxes. It is the least glamorous and most reused thing in any kit.
Why you need it. Broken windows, split bags, cracked pipes and taped-up boxes. It is the least glamorous and most reused thing in any kit.
What to look for. One good-quality wide roll — cheap tape peels off exactly when the repair matters.
Document pack
Insurance, identity and medical paperwork are what make the recovery possible, and they are exactly what nobody remembers while leaving in a hurry.
Why you need it. Insurance, identity and medical paperwork are what make the recovery possible, and they are exactly what nobody remembers while leaving in a hurry.
What to look for. Copies of ID, insurance, prescriptions and property documents in a waterproof wallet, plus the same set encrypted somewhere online.
Written household plan
The part people skip and later wish they had not: who collects whom, where you meet if you cannot get home, and which out-of-area contact everyone calls.
Why you need it. The part people skip and later wish they had not: who collects whom, where you meet if you cannot get home, and which out-of-area contact everyone calls.
What to look for. One page, printed, in every bag and on the fridge. Agree it out loud with everyone, including the children, and revisit it once a year.
Leaving
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You want to be able to go in ten minutes.
Go bag
Almost every evacuation warning gives you minutes, not hours. A packed bag turns a panic into simply picking something up on the way out.
Why you need it. Almost every evacuation warning gives you minutes, not hours. A packed bag turns a panic into simply picking something up on the way out.
What to look for. A rucksack per person holding water, snacks, a torch, a charger, medication, spare clothes and copies of documents. Repack it when the seasons change.
Sturdy boots
Anything that damages a building leaves the floor covered in things you should not walk on in trainers. Boots by the bed is a habit, not a purchase.
Why you need it. Anything that damages a building leaves the floor covered in things you should not walk on in trainers. Boots by the bed is a habit, not a purchase.
What to look for. Closed, thick-soled boots you can put on in the dark, ideally with ankle support. Keep socks tucked inside them.
Headlamp
Hands-free light for a pre-dawn start, an unexpected late finish, or finding anything at all inside a tent.
Why you need it. Hands-free light for a pre-dawn start, an unexpected late finish, or finding anything at all inside a tent.
What to look for. A small lamp with a low mode for camp and a bright mode for walking, plus spare batteries or a charged battery pack.
Battery or wind-up radio
When the mobile network is congested or down, local radio is still telling you which roads are closed and where to go. It is the one information source that does not depend on your phone.
Why you need it. When the mobile network is congested or down, local radio is still telling you which roads are closed and where to go. It is the one information source that does not depend on your phone.
What to look for. A wind-up or battery radio with FM and, ideally, weather or emergency bands. A model that also charges a phone earns its shelf space.
Medication buffer
For anyone on regular medication this is the most important item here, and it is the one that takes planning rather than shopping.
Why you need it. For anyone on regular medication this is the most important item here, and it is the one that takes planning rather than shopping.
What to look for. A few extra days of any prescription, arranged with your pharmacy in advance, plus a written list of doses in your document pack.
Full tank, charged batteries
Not a purchase but a habit: a car above half a tank, a charged power bank and a charged phone mean an evacuation warning is an inconvenience rather than a problem.
Why you need it. Not a purchase but a habit: a car above half a tank, a charged power bank and a charged phone mean an evacuation warning is an inconvenience rather than a problem.
What to look for. A recurring reminder to top up fuel and charge power banks on the same day each month, before any forecast that looks unpleasant.
Coming back
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Floodwater leaves contamination behind, not just damp.
Work gloves
Broken glass, splintered wood and hot metal are the ordinary hazards of any clean-up, and hands are what you need working for everything else.
Why you need it. Broken glass, splintered wood and hot metal are the ordinary hazards of any clean-up, and hands are what you need working for everything else.
What to look for. Tough leather or coated gloves that fit properly. Cheap thin gloves tear on the first sharp edge, which is the edge that mattered.
Dust masks
Smoke, ash and the dust of a damaged building are all things you want to keep out of your lungs, and improvised cloth does very little.
Why you need it. Smoke, ash and the dust of a damaged building are all things you want to keep out of your lungs, and improvised cloth does very little.
What to look for. FFP2/N95 respirators that seal against your face, kept flat and dry. A handful is enough; they are single-use once genuinely dirty.
Wet wipes and sanitiser
When water is limited or the drains stop working, basic hygiene is the difference between an inconvenience and an illness.
Why you need it. When water is limited or the drains stop working, basic hygiene is the difference between an inconvenience and an illness.
What to look for. Large packs of wipes, alcohol gel and a few heavy-duty bin bags. Unscented is more useful than scented.
Cleaning supplies
You usually need to clean the place you are leaving and the place you are arriving at, often on the same day.
Why you need it. You usually need to clean the place you are leaving and the place you are arriving at, often on the same day.
What to look for. A multi-surface spray, cloths, a mop and a bucket kept accessible rather than packed deep in the van.
Bin bags
Moving generates a surprising volume of packaging, and bags double as clothes carriers and soft padding.
Why you need it. Moving generates a surprising volume of packaging, and bags double as clothes carriers and soft padding.
What to look for. Heavy-duty bags in two sizes. Keep a roll in the car so nothing gets left behind in the old place.
