Floods are a universal thing.They're not just related to our area, they're related to all
capital cities, as we have seen in recent times, regional areas, etc.
They can hit anywhere at any time.
You have to be prepared, and part of that preparation is your planning.
As you see here on the counter here we have some of the essential items that you may need
during a flood, plus I also have just up here a pack of gear that I keep ready to go in
the event that we have to evacuate.
Inside this pack you have your basic first aid kit, a good battery torch with replacement
batteries, some matches so you can light up your gas stove if you need to, and some food
products.
They're not going to spoil if they're left in there for a long time.
Also, water and sandbags if you require them.
A couple of other things that I also have in my preparation is I have a waterproof,
fire resistant safe for keeping all of our essential stuff such as passports, major documents
you need, wills, etc.
Something easy to grab and to do a run with it if you have to.
Also have another one of these containers which contains things like the kids' report
cards from school, vaccination records, things like that, even old photo albums, might be
old school, still have a couple of the old books around, want to keep those photos.
Keep them in one of these, something easy to grab if you've got to get out.
Another thing that is essential for you if you have to evacuate or to keep abreast of
things, is to have a radio handy so that you can listen to the news, you can find out what
is happening.
Over this side we have a couple of other things that we actually use.
As I mentioned before, sand bags, so here is a couple of sand bags filled up so you
can barricade doors, etc. if you need to.
Water containers, you can never have too much fresh water.
All right, so a couple of those is always handy to have.
Sleeping bags, a couple of sleeping bags in there in case you have to get out quick and
you want to keep warm.
Just a gas supply such as that, easy, something to cook things on, boil water if you need
to.
And, it may look strange, but a couple of basal blocks.
If you have to get out, you can actually lift the washing machine up, put it on top of that,
any other electrical appliances that too hard to move, you can just lift them off the ground.
Part of your plan should be is that you know as to what your area is like, and even going
back to when you built your house.
I'd say in your original plans for building your house, you'd know as to whether you're
in a flood plain or not.
It even comes down to how high off the ground you put your power points.
So you plan all that in advance.
Stuff in your house that is going to be damaged, electrical items, tv's and so on, put them
on top of your tables.
That will protect that.
Things like washing machines, as I said, you're not going to put it on a table.
You can lift it up and put it on a couple of bricks.
Fridges, a bit heavy to move, but anything you can move, try and get it out of the way.
Also part of your planning if you're building or renovating is to look at your flooring.
If you're in a low area or somewhere that could be prone to flooding, look at floors
that can handle the flood.
Tile floors, things such as that are the way to go.
Part of your preparation as well is what's outside your house.
So making sure that your gutters are clean, downpipes have got good flow of water and
so on, so they're not going to back up and come through your ceiling.
Things are not lying around that could actually, if you do get a flood, lift and carry and
damage things and go through windows, etc.
Sandbags, they're good for diverting water flow, same as a good tarp.
If you've got a good tarp handy, that can help to divert the water flow as well.
A good drainage system is essential, especially at the bottom of a driveway such as this.
This grate drain here is just what you need, but if it's not properly maintained, it's
not going to be effective at all.
What you have to do is just make sure, once you lift the grate up, that inside you don't
have a build up of leaves and rubbish.
This will just stop your water flow.
Part of your preparation and planning should be to have a well maintained generator.
Easy access for you to get.
If the authorities do cut the power, this gives you an option of how to run power to
your house to keep your fridges/freezers active if needed.
This little generator here will operate most things that you require within your house.
Main thing to do, it's operated outside, it doesn't go inside the house so you need a
good, heavy duty extension lead to get the power in, and make sure that you have a plentiful
supply of fresh fuel for the generator.