Emergency Planning

Why Flood Emergency Planning Matters

Flood protection measures are most useful when people know what to do before they are needed. A plan can help reduce confusion during severe weather, especially where several people share responsibility for a property.

Emergency planning is different from regular maintenance. Maintenance keeps systems ready. Emergency planning explains what actions should happen when a warning, severe rain or flood event is approaching or already occurring.

A Flood Emergency Plan May Help Clarify

• Who monitors flood warnings or severe weather updates
• Who checks flood-prone areas before conditions worsen
• Who deploys temporary or demountable flood barriers
• Who confirms self-activating or fixed systems are unobstructed
• Who communicates with residents, tenants, staff or contractors
• What areas should not be accessed during unsafe conditions
• What records should be kept after the event

The plan should be practical enough to follow quickly, even when conditions are changing.

For a broader checklist across flood resilience areas, see Flood Resilience Checklists. For scheduled readiness checks, see Regular Maintenance.

Roles And Contact Details

A flood emergency plan should identify the people, roles and contacts involved in flood preparation and response.

The plan should avoid relying on one person. If the usual contact is unavailable, others should know where the plan is stored and what steps need to happen.

Roles To Assign

• Person responsible for monitoring official warnings
• Person responsible for checking flood-prone areas
• Person responsible for flood barrier deployment, where relevant
• Person responsible for resident, tenant or staff communication
• Person responsible for contacting contractors
• Person responsible for recording photos, notes and post-event actions
• Backup contact for each key role

Contact Details To Keep Current

• Property owner, strata manager, building manager or site operator
• Flood barrier contractor or supplier
• Drainage contractor
• Pump and sump system contractor
• Backflow prevention or plumbing contractor
• Cleaning, drying or restoration contractor
• Insurance broker or insurer contact, where relevant
• Emergency services and local authority information sources

Contact lists should be reviewed regularly so outdated names, phone numbers and email addresses do not remain in the plan.

For strata-specific responsibility and communication planning, see the Strata Flood Planning Guide.

Before Severe Weather

Actions before severe weather should focus on preparation, access, communication and avoiding last-minute confusion.

Checks should only be completed where safe and practical. If conditions are already unsafe, people should follow official advice and avoid entering hazardous areas.

Preparation Actions

• Check official weather warnings and flood information sources
• Review the property flood emergency plan
• Confirm responsible people and backup contacts are available
• Check flood barrier parts, tools or storage locations where relevant
• Confirm self-activating or fixed barriers are unobstructed where applicable
• Check visible drainage grates, pits and low points where safe
• Confirm pump alarms or fault contacts are understood where relevant
• Move vulnerable stored items away from known low-lying areas where practical
• Send relevant communication to residents, tenants, staff or contractors

Access And Deployment Planning

• Can flood barrier components be accessed safely?
• Who has keys, fobs or access permissions?
• Are basement, plant room or pump room access routes safe?
• Are contractors able to access the site if required?
• Is there enough warning time for manual deployment?
• Are there areas that should be avoided if rain has already started?

The plan should clearly state when preparation should stop because conditions are no longer safe.

For barrier selection and deployment considerations, see Flood Barrier Options For Property Owners. For residential and commercial use cases, see the Residential Flood Barrier Guide and Commercial Flood Barrier Guide.

During A Flood Warning Or Event

During a flood warning or event, the focus should shift from preparation to safety, communication and following the agreed plan.

Actions should be limited to what can be done safely. Floodwater, moving water, electrical hazards and below-ground areas can be dangerous.

During-Event Actions

• Follow official emergency warnings and instructions
• Avoid entering floodwater or unsafe areas
• Keep residents, tenants, staff or contractors updated where appropriate
• Avoid basement car parks, lift pits, electrical rooms and pump rooms if unsafe
• Monitor known risk areas only where it is safe to do so
• Record important observations only if this can be done safely
• Contact emergency services where required

Communication During The Event

Communication should be clear, calm and practical. Messages may need to explain:

• Which areas should be avoided
• Whether access to a car park, loading dock or entry point is restricted
• Whether lifts, services or shared areas may be affected
• Who to contact for property-related updates
• Where official emergency information should be checked

Do not ask residents, tenants, staff or contractors to take actions that could expose them to floodwater, electrical hazards or unsafe conditions.

For basement and below-ground risks, see Basement Car Park Flood Risk.

After The Event

After severe weather or flooding, the focus should be on safety, inspection, documentation, clean-up planning and improving the flood emergency plan.

Do not assume an area is safe because water has receded. Electrical hazards, contaminated water, structural damage, slippery surfaces and hidden defects may still be present.

Post-Event Actions

• Confirm areas are safe before allowing access
• Arrange inspections by suitable contractors where required
• Photograph affected areas where safe
• Record where water approached, entered, pooled or caused damage
• Check whether flood barriers, pumps, drains or backflow devices performed as expected
• Save contractor reports, photos, invoices and maintenance notes
• Record temporary repairs, clean-up actions and outstanding defects
• Review what worked and what needs improvement

Questions For The Post-Event Review

• Was the flood warning or severe weather information received in time?
• Were the right people contacted?
• Were flood barriers or other measures accessible?
• Did water enter from the expected location?
• Did drainage, pumps or backflow controls perform as expected?
• Were any areas unsafe or difficult to access?
• What should be changed before the next event?

The post-event review should create clear follow-up actions, not just general notes.

For related system checks, see Drainage Management, Pumps And Sump Systems and Backflow Prevention.

Communication And Record Keeping

Emergency planning should include a simple record-keeping process. This helps future owners, managers, committee members, contractors or insurers understand what happened and what actions were taken.

Records To Keep After An Event

• Date and time of the event
• Warnings or alerts received
• Photos and videos taken safely
• Areas affected by water
• Actions taken before, during and after the event
• People or contractors contacted
• Systems that worked as expected
• Systems that failed or need review
• Follow-up actions, repairs or maintenance tasks

Communication Records

For strata and commercial properties, it may also be useful to keep records of:

• Resident, tenant or staff updates
• Contractor instructions or attendance notes
• Internal meeting notes or action registers
• Insurance or broker communication where relevant
• Changes made to the emergency plan after the event

Records should be stored with the broader flood risk documentation file so they can be reviewed later.

For a full documentation structure, see the Flood Risk Documentation Checklist. For insurance-related records, see Flood Mitigation And Insurance Resilience.

Flood Emergency Planning Checklist

Use this checklist as a starting point when preparing or reviewing a flood emergency plan for a property.

Summary

Flood emergency planning helps property owners, strata managers and commercial site operators prepare practical actions before, during and after severe weather or flooding.

A useful plan should include assigned responsibilities, current contact details, preparation steps, safety limits, communication processes and post-event review actions.

The aim is to make flood response clearer, safer and easier to review when conditions change quickly.