“Now is the time to get prepared,” the Bancroft Fire Department’s Fire Prevention Operations Officer Matt Musclow tells My Bancroft Now.
This winter saw a lot of snow build-up, so Musclow says it’s important to make sure you’re prepared for possible flooding. He says to start by getting in touch with your insurance provider to see if you’re covered if your home or business does get flooded. The next step is to make sure important items are kept in a high spot away from areas that could flood. He says it’s also a good idea to go around your basement and the ground floor of your home and put weather-protective sealant around doors and windows. He also suggests making during any downspouts are installed away from your home.
Musclow says you should make sure you keep around instructions for things like your water and propane gas valves. If flooding does happen, he says it’s important that you know how to turn them off ahead of time.
Musclow says it’s not just your home you need to worry about with flooding. He says if you’re out walking or driving you should stay away from large bodies of water that may be on the road or sidewalk. “You don’t know how deep they could be,” he says.
Musclow says to call your insurance provider if you do experience flooding in your home.
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry have a provincial flood watch that monitors for potential flooding. The Crowe Valley Conservation Authority also monitor for potential flooding locally.
More information on preparing yourself in the case of a flood can be found at the Bancroft Fire Department’s website.