When it rains for hours at a time and warnings of heavy rainfall continue, the risk is no longer just about getting wet on your doorstep. The National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC) recalls that floods and urban floods are among the natural phenomena that cause the most damage in Portugal, especially when drainage systems are obstructed or buildings are located in low-lying areas.
Recommendations from civil protection and insurance companies converge on one point: much of the most common damage can be mitigated with simple prevention, carried out before extreme rain. Cleaning gutters and drains, protecting doors at street level, reviewing what is stored in garages and choosing carefully where the car is kept are some of the precautions highlighted in recent warnings from ANEPC and in good practice guides published by local authorities and parish councils.
Also on the financial side, the message is clear. DECO PROTeste emphasizes that, in the event of storms and floods, only those who have adequate coverage in multi-risk home insurance and optional car insurance can guarantee protection for the property, contents and vehicle, avoiding surprises when activating the policy.
Before the storm: prepare the house for the water that is coming
In bad weather warning phases, the priority is to ensure that water can flow without obstacles. ANEPC recommends that drains, ditches, gutters, gutters and downspouts be cleaned and unblocked, both on roofs and on balconies, backyards and patios, removing leaves, earth and other debris that has accumulated. This check must also be carried out on drainage grates inside patios or terraces, where toys, vases or outdoor furniture may end up blocking the passage of water.
Another sensitive point are the doors and windows at street level. Several civil protection notices and municipal self-protection manuals suggest, for houses in more exposed areas, the use of small physical barriers, such as wooden panels adapted to the doorway or sandbags next to thresholds, in order to delay the entry of water. Whenever possible, it is also recommended to quickly observe the condition of the roof, frames and cracks in external walls, to detect points of obvious infiltration before the rain hits.
Inside the home, prevention involves removing carpets, small appliances and boxes with documents or valuable objects from the floor, especially in ground floor rooms closer to the outside.
Garages and basements: critical points in sudden floods
In episodes of very intense rain, underground garages and basements are often the first to fill. It is recommended to always keep floor drains, gutters at the bottom of ramps and any manholes associated with the drainage system clean, reducing the likelihood of rapid water accumulation.
The way goods are organized in these spaces also makes a difference. Instead of storing equipment, tools or boxes directly on the floor, it is preferable to use metal shelves, pallets or pallets that raise the objects a few centimeters. This precaution, highlighted in municipal campaigns linked to the beginning of the hydrological year, may be enough to prevent shallow floods from destroying appliances or documentation.
If the water starts to rise visibly, the civil protection guidelines are clear: do not stay in cellars or try to save property at the last minute. The priority is to quickly leave buried spaces, move to higher floors and, only if it is safe, turn off the electricity and gas, then resort to technical support.
Where to leave the car when the street turns into a river
Vehicles are among the assets most exposed in episodes of extreme rain. Civil protection authorities remind us of the need to avoid parking in areas historically subject to flooding, such as close to rivers, valley bottoms or streets with poor drainage.
For those who do not have a garage, the guideline is to always look for slightly higher places and away from watercourses, even if this involves a few additional minutes of walking. In practice, the choice of parking space can even dictate the difference between an intact car and a total loss, especially on streets that fill up quickly when it rains a lot.
When circulating, the rule is not to enter areas where the height of the water is difficult to assess. Recommends defensive driving, reducing speed and paying attention to the formation of water tables, warning of the danger of crossing flooded streets, due to the risk of the vehicle being dragged into holes in the pavement or uncovered drains. Road safety recommendations indicate that, whenever water clearly exceeds the level of the tires, driving is no longer safe and the likelihood of serious mechanical damage increases.
When, despite all precautions, water enters your home, garage or car, the first step remains safety. Civil protection entities and insurance companies recommend avoiding contact with wet sockets, electrical panels and cables, not walking barefoot in flooded areas and only turning the power back on after assessment by a qualified technician.
Secondly, it becomes essential to record what happened. DECO PROTeste and several insurance operators advise taking photographs and videos of the damage, keeping proof of firefighters or civil protection interventions and writing down the dates and times when the events occurred. Insurance companies suggest that, whenever possible, these elements are sent as soon as the claim is reported, facilitating the analysis and regularization of the process.
Participation must be made within the deadlines indicated in the policy, via the helplines, customer area or mobile application. In situations of high-impact floods, the Portuguese Association of Insurers usually publishes priority contacts and channels for opening claims, precisely to speed up service.
What insurance coverage can make a difference
Recent experience with episodes of extreme rain has led many families to review their insurance coverage. DECO PROTeste has insisted that phenomena such as floods, storms and floods are only effectively protected if they are included in multi-risk home insurance, ideally with clear safeguards for both the building and its contents.
In the car, the rule is similar. Mandatory civil liability policies do not cover damage to the vehicle itself, making it necessary to take out optional coverage, such as personal damage caused by natural phenomena, to have protection in the event of partial or total submersion in fresh water. Comparing proposals, checking insurance capital and exclusions and considering deductibles are steps recommended by consumer associations and platforms specializing in insurance, especially in areas where urban flooding has become more frequent.
Faced with a succession of periods of intense rain, the combination of physical prevention at home, organization of garages and cellars, careful choice of where to leave the car and risk-adjusted policies can significantly reduce the impact of a day of “heavy rain” on everyday life.
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