With winter well and truly upon us, we’ve seen heavy downpours recently cause isolated flooding and landslide issues for some homeowners. If you haven’t experienced this before, it will be overwhelming, and hard to know what to do and where to start.
There are some key actions to take when your home is affected by a flood or landslide:
1. Make sure you and your family are safe first – if there is a threat to life or property, evacuate right away and call 111.
2. If you need to evacuate:
a) arrange to stay with family or friends who are safe; or
b) talk to your insurer to check whether the provision for temporary accommodation would apply in your situation; or
c) go to a Civil Defence Centre or Community Emergency Hub which will be activated only where there is more widespread need. Check your local board emergency readiness info sheet to find out where your local CDC and CEHs will be; or
d) if you are a tenant, or anyone struggling to find alternative accommodation, contact MSD who may be able to arrange temporary accommodation for you.
3. When you are safe, report the flooding or landslide to Auckland Council on 09 301 01 01 so they are aware of any critical issues and can coordinate response if needed.
4. Contact your insurers as soon as possible – they will give you advice on how to lodge your claim and advice to ensure you don’t do anything that impacts your claim.
5. If you are a tenant, let your landlord know so they can work through these steps for the home. Landlords can find information about what to do if their rental property is damaged in a storm via Tenancy Services.
6. Report affected utilities (water, gas, electricity) to the appropriate companies.
7. Stay away until authorities give the all-clear. With landslides, further damage may be likely – landslides can happen progressively, often days after a triggering event. The council will work to send out experts to assess your home for any critical safety issues, and let you know if it is safe to enter and live in, or what the next steps are and if you need to seek professional advice.
8. When it is safe to start your cleanup, follow cleanup guidance as there may be hazards such as contaminated floodwaters.
See these handy resources for more information AEM before, after and during a flood and advice about landslides. You can also find more information about rebuilding your home so that it is more resilient to flooding.
