Preparedness saves more lives than response.

Before the rains

• Know your water. Learn where water flowed in past floods on your street — it will take the same path. Check the live map for stations near you and save your places for alerts.
• Prepare a go-bag: documents in a waterproof bag, torch, power bank, drinking water, small cash, medicines.
• Clear your gutters and report choked drains via the waste service — most street flooding starts with a blocked drain.
• Agree a meeting point on higher ground with your household.

When a warning arrives

• Move people first, property second. Elders, children and the disabled go early.
• Move goods and vehicles to higher ground immediately — you typically have 30–120 minutes.
• Switch off electricity at the mains if water may enter the building.
• Never walk or drive through moving water. 15 cm of moving water can knock an adult down; 60 cm carries away most cars.

After

• Treat all floodwater as contaminated — wash hands, boil water, watch for cholera symptoms.
• Photograph damage before cleaning up (insurance and NADMO assessments).
• Report ongoing hazards (collapsed walls, exposed cables) via the report form.