Don't wait until a flooding emergency happens to you… take the time now to understand your risk and prepare for a flood emergency.

According to the study, Canadian Voices on Changing Flood Risk, published in April 2017, 94% of people living in flood risk zones didn't know they were at risk.

On this page, we will help you:​​

1. Understand how to find out what your flood risk is
   
2. Explain our role in flood protection
   
3. Provide you with resources to help protect yourself from flood
   

Understanding your flood risk

Approximately 40% of the Lake Simcoe watershed​ is regulated by LSRCA. Regulated areas contain unique environmental significance or feature natural hazards for the watershed. 

Regulated areas include flood prone areas but are much more than flood zones. They could also be land that is subject to erosion, or adjacent to streams or rivers, or wetlands, among a number of other reasons. Building and development in these areas is regulated by LSRCA to make sure the activity does not cause environmental damage to the watershed and keeps people and property safe.

Our role is to protect people and property from flooding long before the rain begins. We work to prevent or minimize the impacts from floods by:

• Regulating development (building) in flood prone areas and other areas that protect us from flooding, such as wetlands.
  
• Maintaining a flood forecasting and war​ning system. We have a staff team that monitors watershed conditions, tracks weather, and issues flood alerts to local authorities (emergency services, municipalities, school boards, etc.). The purpose of this service is to reduce risk to life and damage to property by providing local agencies and the public with notice, information and advice so they can respond to potential flooding and flood emergencies.​​
  

​​What you can do to reduce the chances of being flooded?

• Understand your insurance ​​policy. Regardless of where you live, you should understand your insurance coverage. Are you covered in the event of flooding? What about sewage backup? Speak with your insurance company to understand what is and isn't covered by your policy. Do not assume you're covered in the event of a flood. It could be a very costly assumption!
  

• Plan for an emergency. Everyone should have a 72 hour emergency kit on hand. Remember emergencies can happen for reasons other than flooding. The recommendation is that your emergency kit should contain enough supplies for yourself and your loved ones for at least 3 days.
  

• Protect your property with flood-readiness fixes. Have you taken a look around your property to make sure it's as flood proof as it can be? There are some property improvements you can make to help reduce the chances of damage from flooding.