Recovery: What to do after a flood
This page provides flood recovery messages.
Remember that if you have been evacuated, it may not be safe to return home even when the floodwaters have receded. Listen to emergency services and local Civil Defence authorities and don’t return home until they tell you it is safe to do so.
Stay up to date with the latest weather information from MetService, Te Ratonga Tirorangi, New Zealand’s National Weather Service. Check to see if further severe weather or flooding is possible.
Stay away from damaged areas so that rescue and emergency operations can continue. You will also avoid further risk from the residual effects of floods, such as contaminated water, damaged roads, landslides, mudflows, and other hazards.
Look before you step. After a flood, the ground and floors are covered with debris, including broken bottles and nails. Floors and stairs that have been covered with mud can be very slippery.
Check out the Insurance section for more information on how your property might be covered following a hazard event.
It is important to clean and dry your house and everything in it. Floodwater may contain sewage and other hazardous materials which can contaminate your whare/home.
If your gas meter has been affected by water or debris, contact your gas supplier.
Always work safely when cleaning up after a flood:
- Protect yourself by wearing a properly fitted P2- or N95-rated mask, goggles, gloves, long pants, long-sleeved shirt, and gumboots or work shoes.
- Cover any open cuts, scratches, grazes and wounds with waterproof plasters or dressings.
- Always wash your hands thoroughly after each clean-up session and before handling food.
Wet furniture and surfaces get mouldy after a couple of days, making the air in your whare/home unhealthy. Mould may make some people with asthma, allergies, or other breathing problems sick.
- Talk to your doctor or another medical professional if you have questions about cleaning or working in a whare/home that has been flooded.
- If there is a large amount of mould, you may want to hire professional help to clean up the mould.
Make your whare/home safe and sanitary, but don’t do non-essential repairs. Learn about making temporary repairs that are needed quickly.
Keep children and animals away from previously flooded areas until they have been cleaned and made safe.
Follow advice and instructions from your local council and your local Civil Defence Emergency Management Group.
Take photos and videos of the damage and anything that needs to be thrown away before starting the clean-up, for insurance purposes.
- Clean up, drain, and dry inside as quickly as possible. Take out everything that is wet and that can be moved – floor coverings, furniture, bedding, clothing, etc., and put them outside to dry when the weather is fine.
- Check for trapped water and mud in wall cavities, as well as under shower trays, baths, benches and bottom shelves. You may have to chisel out some bricks at the bottom of brick veneer walls.
- Open all doors and windows, and use heaters (e.g., hot air blowers for under-floor space). Do not use outdoor gas appliances, such as patio heaters, indoors.
- Do not light fires in brick fireplaces for at least 2 weeks, and then use only small fires until the firebricks have dried out.
- Consult an engineer if there are signs that the house has moved on its foundations. Signs can include buckled floors, new cracks in walls, or out-of-shape door frames.
- Remove skirting, if necessary, and cut out softened plaster board in damaged areas. Consult an expert such as an insurance assessor or builder.
- Replace wall linings and floor coverings only after the building is completely dry.
- Leave redecorating for at least 3 months after finishing the repairs, to prevent risk of mould, blistering, and peeling.
If you have insurance, contact your insurer to lodge a claim and understand how they can help. They may undertake some of these steps for you as part of your claim.
In the kitchen
Discard wooden items such as chopping boards and spoons, plastic utensils, and baby bottle teats and dummies, if they have come into contact with floodwater. There is no way to safely clean them.
Clean any other cooking, eating and kitchen utensils that have come into contact with floodwater:
- Wash in hot soapy water.
- Rinse thoroughly in safe water, then disinfect by immersing for 1 minute in a solution of 500 ml (about 2 cups) of plain, unperfumed, household bleach in 10 litres of water.
- Rinse again in safe water.
- Alternatively, boil all utensils for 1 minute and let cool.
In bedrooms and living rooms
You will need to throw away mattresses and other large items that have been soaked with floodwater. Foam rubber mattress or pillows may be able to be washed, disinfected and dried in the open air.
Get rid of contaminated clothing, carpets, upholstered furniture, toys and bedding, unless they can be cleaned and disinfected.
Mould
Wet furniture and surfaces get mouldy after a couple of days, making the air in your whare/home unhealthy. Mould may make some people with asthma, allergies, or other breathing problems sick.
If mould has developed on surfaces, take extra care when cleaning.
- Clean the mould off as soon as possible to reduce exposure to mould spores.
- Wear protective clothing and a properly-fitted mask such as a P2/N95 disposable respirator or half-face respirator with P2 filters.
- Use soap and water to clean the surface then apply a commercial mould product or household bleach solution.
- For large areas contact a mould removal specialist. You can find professionals in mould assessment on the Health and Safety Association of New Zealand (HASANZ) register.
Learn more about working safely when cleaning mould.
Drying your whānau/family collections
Books, photographs and other precious belongings are at risk of water and mould damage following a flood.
- The National Library of New Zealand have advice on their website about how to dry water-damaged belongings such as photographs, books, artworks and music collections after a flood.
- Te Papa Tongarewa have advice on their website about salvaging specific flood-damaged taonga including, kete and piu piu, whariki, and kākahu.
First clear the access to the building – the rest of the section can come later. It’s easier to clean up outside once the outside has dried naturally, too.
Use a shovel to remove surface contamination. Place it at the edge of your section, ensuring it doesn’t block drainage channels. If you need assistance with disposing of flood debris, check with your local council to see if they have arrangements for flood debris disposal.
The best way to make your outside areas safer is to rely on natural processes such as sunlight, drying and wind. Leave garden surfaces and lawns exposed to the air and sunshine to dry out naturally. Make drainage holes with a fork to aerate.
- If the outside area is heavily contaminated with sewage, use garden lime to disinfect the area. Garden lime can be bought from a garden shop. Follow the instructions on the label.
- Hard surfaces, such as driveways, can be cleaned and disinfected with 1 litre of household chlorine bleach in 10 litres of cold water (a household bucket). Leave the disinfectant on for 30 minutes, then rinse with clean water.
Any buildings and structures built before 2000 may have asbestos in them. Asbestos was used in a wide range of building materials, such as cladding, roofing, flooring, electrical components, and insulation material.
When homes and other buildings containing asbestos are damaged during floods, the asbestos-containing materials can become eroded, disturbed, broken, or friable. This can cause a health risk to people living or working on the property, and the community.
When damaged asbestos-containing materials are wet, they are not as dangerous, but once dry they can cause a risk to health if fibres are released that can become airborne and be inhaled.
If you believe the damaged structure contains asbestos contact a licensed asbestos assessor or licensed asbestos removalist before returning to the building. You can find a current licenced asbestos removalist or assessor using the Asbestos Licence Holder Register.
Floodwater can carry bacteria that can contaminate food.
Throw away all food and drinking water that has come in contact with floodwater, including things stored in containers. It is impossible to know if containers have been damaged and the seals compromised.
Do not eat garden produce if the soil has been flooded. Clean up and remove debris and sprinkle gardens with lime.
Avoid drinking or preparing food with tap water until you are certain it is not contaminated. Follow any boil water notice instructions from your local authorities.
Flood waters can deposit large quantities of silt. When the silt dries the surface layer can become airborne when disturbed by wind, vehicles or clean-up activities.
Dust generated from airborne silt can affect people’s health. It can irritate the eyes and upper airways, and for those with underlying heart or lung conditions such as asthma it can worsen symptoms. Infants, young children and the elderly are also more vulnerable to health effects from air pollution.
Silt may contain toxic substances and pathogens (disease-causing microorganisms).
Take a common-sense approach to protect your health. If dust levels are high and you can see, smell or taste dust in the air, or visibility is reduced, it is a good idea to take precautions:
- If possible, keep the surface of the silt wet, or cover it to prevent it drying and blowing around. Alternatively, use barriers to protect the silt from the wind.
- If possible, stay indoors and close windows and doors when dust levels are high. You may also need to seal openings such as cat doors and air vents to keep silt out.
- If dust exposure can’t be avoided wear a properly fitted P2 or N95 mask. If you do not have one, a surgical mask will provide some protection.
- Avoid exercising outside.
- Heat pumps and air conditioning units (HVAC systems) can continue to be used. HEPA filters will be most effective at removing fine particles but will block more rapidly and will need to be cleaned more frequently. Check and clean HVAC filters regularly.
- An indoor air purifier, fitted with a HEPA filter, will also help improve indoor air quality.
- Clean indoors regularly using mops and damp cloths to remove dust.
- Avoid sweeping and dusting as it kicks dust into the air, and only use a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter.
- Drive slowly within silt impacted areas – slower is better and will result in less dust. Aim for under 10km/h.
If you are worried about what dust is doing to your health, call Healthline 0800 611 116. Call 111 if anyone has trouble breathing.
Removing silt
Not all silt needs to be removed. Generally, in open areas where silt is less than 15mm deep you won’t need to remove the silt. It will gradually disappear in the weeks following the floods, assisted by the effects of wind and rain.
Follow advice and instructions about removing silt from your local council and local Civil Defence Emergency Management Group.
Always work safely when cleaning up silt:
- Protect yourself by wearing a properly fitted P2- or N95-rated mask, safety glasses or goggles, gloves, long pants, long-sleeved shirt, and gumboots or work shoes.
- Cover any open cuts, scratches, grazes and wounds with waterproof plasters or dressings.
- Always wash your hands thoroughly after each clean-up session and before handling food.
Avoid digging deep trenches with high sides when cleaning up silt. Silt and debris can collapse easily without warning. Collapsing trenches can injure or kill people.
- If silt is deeper than one metre, create stepped trenches rather than digging straight down, to reduce the risk of collapse.
The Worksafe website has information about working safely when digging or moving silt.
Keep pets and other animals away from flood water. It may be contaminated with biological waste, pathogens (disease-causing microorganisms) or chemicals.
Following a major flooding event and periods of ongoing rainfall there is an increased risk of livestock contracting diseases.