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Prepare before a storm: learn your local flood risk, sign up for alerts, make an evacuation plan, and address practical drainage and backup-power needs while conditions are safe. Flooding can happen outside mapped high-risk areas, and no household measure can guarantee a dry home. When a flood threatens, follow local officials, leave when ordered, and never enter floodwater.
How do I prepare my home for a flood?
Start with information and a household plan, then make property changes suited to your home. FEMA/Ready.gov advises checking local risk and signing up for community alerts. The agency’s guidance also warns that flooding can occur wherever it rains, including beyond mapped flood-risk lines.
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- Check local risk and warnings. Look up your address in the FEMA Flood Map Service Center and ask local emergency management about neighborhood hazards and warning systems. Treat a map as one source of information, not proof that a home outside a mapped high-risk area cannot flood.
- Set up more than one way to receive alerts. Sign up for local emergency notifications and know how to receive official weather warnings. Ready.gov also lists NOAA Weather Radio as an alert channel. Follow local instructions when a threat develops.
- Make an evacuation and shelter plan. Decide where household members and pets will go, how they will get there, and what to do if officials advise evacuation or sheltering. Learn and practice routes. Include medications, chargers, and other essential supplies, and gather supplies for several days.
- Protect documents and valuables. Keep important papers in a waterproof container and maintain password-protected digital copies. Store valuables above likely water levels when practical.
- Review insurance before a storm is imminent. FEMA/Ready.gov says standard homeowners insurance policies do not cover flooding and points readers to flood coverage through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). Ask an insurer or NFIP resource about current eligibility, policy terms, limits, exclusions, and the effective date; this general guidance does not determine what an individual policy covers.
What should I do before heavy rain?
Use a calm-weather checklist to reduce avoidable drainage problems and make sure household preparations are usable. Routine maintenance may help manage water around a property, but it cannot prevent every kind of flooding.
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- Check whether the home has a sump pit and whether a battery-operated or battery-backup sump pump is appropriate. Confirm system compatibility, capacity, expected backup runtime, installation needs, and maintenance for your property rather than choosing from a generic recommendation.
- Ask a qualified plumber or building professional whether a sewer backwater check valve is compatible with your plumbing and permitted under local requirements. A check valve may help limit floodwater backing up through drains.
- Ask whether susceptible utilities—such as a furnace, water heater, or electrical panel—should be elevated. This work may require a qualified contractor and must comply with local rules.
- Consider basement waterproofing or other property-specific improvements with a qualified professional.
- Keep essential supplies and documents accessible, and make sure household members know the plan and alert channels.
FEMA’s guidance also identifies sandbags as a possible temporary flood barrier. Whether they are appropriate depends on the location and circumstances; follow local advice and do not treat a barrier as a substitute for leaving when ordered.
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- Water Activated Flood Barriers, Rated #1 in Flood Control
- Grows to 3.5in high in minutes, just get them wet
- Long, flexible design creates all sorts of shapes
- Use to control, contain & divert flood water
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How do I protect my basement from flooding?
There is no single basement fix that suits every home. First identify likely entry points and drainage conditions with a qualified building professional or plumber. Depending on the home, practical measures may include keeping drains and gutters clear, a suitable sump pump with battery backup, a sewer backwater check valve, or waterproofing. Check installation and maintenance requirements before relying on equipment, and elevate susceptible utilities where appropriate.
Move important belongings and documents above likely water levels ahead of time. During an approaching threat, move items only if there is time and it is safe. Do not stay behind, enter a flooded area, or delay evacuation to install equipment or protect possessions.
Rank #2
- Water Activated Flood Barriers, Rated #1 in Flood Control.
- Grows to 3.5in high in minutes, just get them wet.
- Long, flexible design creates all sorts of shapes.
- Use to control, contain & divert flood water.
- Ready to use, no sand or labor needed.
What should I do when flooding threatens?
- Monitor local weather alerts and instructions from emergency officials.
- If officials order an evacuation, leave promptly. Take essential supplies and documents only if doing so is safe; do not delay departure for belongings or home-protection tasks. Shelter in place only when that is the safer option directed by local officials.
- Never walk, swim, or drive through floodwater, and do not go around barricades. Water may be contaminated and can hide hazards.
- If using a generator or other fuel-burning equipment, operate it outdoors at least 20 feet from building openings such as windows, doors, and garages, as FEMA’s flood hazard sheet advises.
Does homeowners insurance cover flooding?
FEMA/Ready.gov’s general U.S. guidance says standard homeowners policies do not cover flood damage and directs readers to NFIP flood coverage. Individual policy terms and eligibility vary, so confirm coverage, exclusions, limits, and the start date directly with an insurer or NFIP resource well before a flood threat.
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Sources: FEMA/Ready.gov, Floods; FEMA/Ready.gov, Be Prepared for a Flood (January 2025); FEMA/Ready.gov, How to Prepare for a Hurricane (March 2020).
Quick Recap
Best Value
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Rank #4
- Water Activated Flood Barriers, Rated #1 in Flood Control
- Grows to 3.5in high in minutes, just get them wet
- Contains up to 50ft of Flood Protection in each Bucket
- Use to control, contain & divert flood water
- Ready to use, no sand or labor needed
Rank #3
- Water Activated Flood Bags, Rated #1 in Flood Control
- Grows to 3.5in high in minutes, just get them wet
- Use to control, contain & divert flood water
- Ready to use, no sand or labor needed
- Compact & Lightweight, stores away until needed
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