Significant floods occur in parts of Australia each year even though it’s a dry continent and often affected by serious drought. These floods can cause extensive damage and, sadly, fatalities. But you can act before, during and after a flood to mitigate the impact on your home and family.
Stay connected and alert
When extreme weather hits, your family’s safety comes first.
Follow key guidance from authorities
Listen to and follow advice from the SES and local authorities. Contact 000 or your local state emergency service in an emergency.
Stay vigilant
Look out for weather warnings from Bureau of Meteorology by visiting BoM online or download the app on your phone.
Listen to updates
If extreme weather is approaching, follow updates on ABC radio online or download the app on your phone. You can also tune into local radio stations for updates.
Preparing for a flood
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Precautions you can take
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Emergency action plan
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Emergency kit checklist
Precautions you can take
- Evaluate your flood risk – find out if your home has ever been flooded, and find out from your local council or state emergency service if you live in a flood-prone area
- Change your landscaping – trees and shrubs planted around your home can help mitigate erosion, slow down fast-flowing water and divert water away from your home
- To assist with potential future claims, take photos of your assets
Emergency action plan
Keep yourself and your family safe by ensuring that everyone is familiar with your evacuation plan and knows where first aid and emergency kits are.
What to include in your home emergency plan
- What role each family member should take in an emergency
- Where you and your family will go if you have to evacuate
- A list of emergency contact numbers and key contacts like the SES, 000, local hospital, gas, and electricity
- How you will contact one another if separated
- What arrangements you’ll make for your pets to make sure they’re safe with food and water
- How and where:
- you turn off power, gas, and water supplies
- valuables and important documents are stored
- your household emergency kit is stored
- What you’ll do to reduce damage to your home or contents
- You may want to digitise and store your photos on a cloud service just in case
- Where you’ll shelter or where to go if you need to self-evacuate
Emergency kit checklist
- In a flood, there’s a chance you’ll be alone for up to three days – so make sure your emergency kit will sustain you and your household. Prepare for disruption to power and water supplies, unreliable communication methods, injury, and dangerous elements.ed to evacuate.
What to include in your home emergency kit
- A battery-operated radio with spare batteries
- A torch with spare batteries, candles, and waterproof matches
- Three days of non-perishable foods and a can opener
- 10 litres of bottled water per person
- A first aid kit and manual with any essential medicines
- A change of warm clothes for each person and closed-in shoes
- Blankets or sleeping bags
- Toilet paper and essential toiletries, including sunscreen and insect repellent
- Special needs for infants, the aged and people with disabilities
- Money
- Important documents (birth and marriage certificates, driver’s licence, passports, insurance policies and photos)
- Sealable waterproof bags
- A mobile phone, charging cord, and a charged power bank
- Extra car and house keys
- A copy of your household plan
- Pet supplies
- A portable cooker (if using gas, remember to have spare canisters or bottles)
- Cooking and eating utensils
Tips for home emergency kits
- Store your kit in an easy-to-reach, dry place
- Every member of your house should know where the kit is stored
- Check the contents of your kit at least once a year to make sure items still work and consumables aren’t past their use-by date
- Batteries, water and non-perishables will perish over time
- Make sure your power bank is charged and you have downloaded relevant apps, including BoM & ABC radio, onto your phone
- A battery-powered portable radio and torch will help you stay updated on power restoration and evacuation alerts if the power is cut
- Gather sentimental, important, and valuable items and documents that you can take with you should you need to evacuate.
Responding to a flood
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What to do when a flood warning is issued
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What to do during a flood
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What to do after a flood
What to do when a flood warning is issued
- Secure potentially hazardous items that could move around in floodwaters, such as outdoor furniture and fuel tanks
- Open gates so flood water can flow freely through them
- Move household and electrical items to a higher place
- Place furniture on beds and personal items on furniture
- Roof spaces can be used if they can support the weight of the items placed within
- Remove wood drawers from built-ins, cabinets, and furniture – wood swells when wet
- Switch off utilities: electricity, gas, and water – disconnect electrical appliances
- Empty and leave open fridges and freezers to prevent floatation
- Install a sewage water backstop or place a strong plastic bag full of sand or earth in the toilet bowl and over drainage holes in the bathroom and laundry to prevent sewage from flowing back into your home
- Make sure doors and windows are shut tightly – you can seal doors and windows with plywood, plastic, silicon, or duct tape
- Seal the points around your home where water can get in, such as ventilation holes and basement entry points
- Place heavy-duty plastic around the base of your home on the outside, tape the plastic to the walls, and place sandbags on the plastic
- Move your car from rising flood waters if it is safe to do so
What to do during a flood
- Don’t drive into floodwater and avoid driving at night
- Don’t swim in floodwater
- Monitor weather forecasts and emergency alerts
- Carry your mobile phone with you
What to do after a flood
- Avoid fallen power lines and damaged trees
- Never drive your vehicle through flood water, even if it looks shallow
- Return home only when authorities indicate that it’s safe
- Wear rubber boots and rubber or leather gloves
- Check for gas or water leaks
- Check with electricity, gas, and water authorities to determine if supply has been interrupted or is safe to be turned on
- Don’t switch on power and electrical appliances until they’ve been checked and approved for use
- Clean and disinfect everything that got wet because it may be contaminated by sewage or chemicals in the floodwater
- When cleaning, wear protective gloves and a mask
- Don’t eat food that has been in floodwater because it may be contaminated
- Don’t drink water straight from a tap until authorities declare it safe – until then, boil the water before drinking it
- Take photos and record all damage in case the photos and records are needed to support insurance claims
Need to make a claim?
Once it’s safe to do so, our expert team can assist you in making a claim over the phone or online.
Find out how the claims process works and what’s involved on your end.
72 hour exclusion period may apply. We don’t provide cover for any loss of or damage to your property caused by cyclone, flood, grassfires and bushfires, during the first 72 hours after you first take out or increase the cover under the policy. For full details of conditions and exclusions, refer to the relevant Product Disclosure Statement (PDS).
Look after your mental health
The mental health impacts of extreme weather events can be significant. To help our affected customers and their families during these difficult times we’re offering three free, confidential counselling sessions to help you get back on your feet.
Bookings can be made 24/7 on 1800 955 599. The counselling sessions can be over the phone or face-to-face at over 400 locations across Australia. Simply confirm you are an Allianz customer, distribution partner or family member to book a session.
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