Flood risk mitigation: Planning is key

When the water is rising, it’s too late to plan for a flood. In order to effectively manage the hazards associated with floods, it is imperative that a thorough flood risk mitigation strategy is in place that can be implemented before, during and after the event. This paper explores several issues relating to property risk control and preparation as they pertain to floods, including pre-emergency planning, structure and site mitigation strategies, utility protection and business continuity management.

This document:

• Identifies information that must be gathered to properly respond to the flood,
• Recognizes preparations that must be made for a response (acquiring and maintaining equipment, records, funding, materials, etc.),
• Ensures a clear assignment of tasks and responsibilities, helping to avoid important things being left undone or unnecessarily duplicated, and
• Identifies training and resource needs; personnel should be oriented to the plan and trained in the skills necessary to enable them to fulfil their assigned responsibilities.