Flood preparedness and reducing your risk

Reducing your risk

Wastewater can back up into your home when things like your downspouts and weeping tiles around foundations are connected to the wastewater system – and shouldn’t be! This is a big contributor to basement flooding during extreme weather events when there is so much rainfall in a short period of time, and there is no where else for the rain to go.

Excessive overland rainwater, in areas like your street or yard combined with poor property grading and drainage can also make it easier for rainwater to enter your home. It can seep in through your windows, doors and cracks in the foundation and make its way to the wastewater system, causing it to back up.

Halton Region Basement Flooding Prevention Subsidy Program

Our Enhanced Basement Flooding Prevention Subsidy Program makes it easier and more affordable for residents to undertake home improvements that can help reduce the risk of basement flooding and keep rain/storm water out of the wastewater system.

Learn more about the program and home improvements you can make to limit your risk of basement flooding:

Other ways to reduce the risk of basement flooding

Understand how your property drains rainwater:

• It’s important to understand how your property and home drains rainwater and melted snow, and what paths the water can take.
• To help with that, Halton Region offers a Household Drainage Survey. To request a survey, please call 311 or email accesshalton@halton.ca

Improve drainage around your property:

• Ensure your yard slopes away from your house, not towards it. A minimum slope of 2% is required, with 5% being ideal. This means that there should be a drop of 2-5 cm in every metre.
• Ensure that eavestroughs (gutters) and downspouts are in good condition, are clear and drain properly. Ideally, downspouts should be extended 3m away from the foundation of the home, to ground that is sloped away from the home.
• Regularly clean out drains, culverts and stormwater swales around your property to prevent blockages.
• The benefits of proper lot drainage are not limited to Basement Flood Prevention. Stagnant water and soggy yards are a breeding ground for mosquitoes, increasing the risk of exposure to West Nile virus.

Keep up your property maintenance:

• Keep floor drains inside your home clear, and your cleanouts accessible.
• Ensure window wells are free of debris. Consider installing flood-resistant doors or panels.
• Install weather protection sealant around basement windows and the base of ground-level doors.
• Regularly maintain your sump pump. Ensure that your sump pump system is sturdy, adequately sized and has backup power so it can continue to operate during a power outage or when flows into the sump pit are much higher than normal.
• If you have one, regularly maintain your backwater valve.

Order our Guide to Flooding Prevention and Recovery

Insurance and coverage

While it won’t prevent a flood, understanding your flood related insurance policy, deductible and other supports available to you through your insurance provider is important. You should also ensure you fully understand their claims process and what you need to provide them to make your claim.

Contact your insurance provider to confirm all these very important details. It will save you time and stress when it comes time to clean up and repair your home from flood damage.

The Insurance Bureau of Canada has a virtual Community Assistance Mobile Pavilion to help with questions related to insurance. For support:

• call 1-844-227-5422; or
• email ONCIC@ibc.ca.

More information on filing an insurance claim (external link)