Find out if the area where you live or work is at risk of flooding. This helps you to be better prepared and to prevent dangerous situations.

Consult your municipality's Emergency Plan to find out where the areas at risk of flooding are but also to know the safest areas to go to during an emergency.

Keep life-saving medicines and copies of your most important documents (such as your identity card) and a torch handy.

If you are at home

• Go upstairs and wait for help to arrive.
• If you stay on the lower floors, remember that the cellar and garage are the first areas of the house to flood, even when you least expect it.
• Use the telephone only if necessary: keeping the lines clear helps the rescuers.
• Only leave the house if the threat of flooding is serious. But first: turn off the gas and disconnect the electricity. Wear clothes and footwear that protect you from water.

If you are outdoors

• Stay away from bridges, rivers and other waterways.
• Also avoid slopes and escarpments: there may be landslides in progress.
• Use your car only if really necessary and do not drive on roads that are already flooded.
• Avoid subways: the water level may be higher than you think and you may risk being trapped inside the vehicle.
• Pay attention to road signs and the instructions given by the authorities managing the emergency and coordinating rescue operations.
• If you are at the seaside, avoid standing on coastal roads and piers, jetties and near the shoreline.
• Avoid bathing and the use of boats and secure boats and structures on beaches and in port areas beforehand.

• Use your car with caution: do not drive along flooded roads and be careful even where the water has receded.
• Do not use electrical equipment at home until it has been checked by a technician. Do not use water until it is declared drinkable again and do not consume food exposed to the flood.
• Clean and disinfect surfaces that have come into contact with water and mud.