Emergency Readiness for Your Home

Cam Allen L.I.W. NHI

July 30, 2026

In this weekly Q&A column, retired builder/building inspector Cam Allen answers readers’ home renovation questions. Have a question? Enter it in the form below.

I am going to break away from my usual format this week to cover a subject that is filling the media these days, along with an offer to help any homeowner.

It seems the world is either on fire, being flooded out or blown away so far this summer, with fire being the largest of the climatic crises we seem to be experiencing right now. Back in May of this year the federal government held “Emergency Preparedness Week” and most provinces supported this with
information, workshops and media support. Ontario offered a well prepared brochure that can be downloaded. Numerous retailers like Canadian Tire now offer survival kits for one or more individuals.

What I have not seen are concise, “easy to understand” information packages directed at preparing your home and how to take proactive steps at different time intervals before you must, if necessary, leave your home. There seems to be limited condensed information on how to approach going back into your home once the disaster has passed.

Those who have read this column in the past know that I am a strong promoter of how to prepare a home for the current and coming climate issues that the environmental community have been predicting is now upon us. It has become a significant issue as the extremes we are now seeing will only become more intense and constantly affect our lives. Our first book, while it has been successful, my co-author and I have come to the realization that
some form of condensed, “free to download” common sense, simplified brochures are past due. In August we will be releasing an “Emergency Readiness Playbook” which will outline proactive steps to prepare your home for most climatic upheaval. We will also be releasing, again a free download, a smaller tri-fold pamphlet called the “Home Resilience Triage Guide” with tips on how to prepare your home just before the storm arrives and how to assess your home after the extreme weather has passed you by.

Not all extreme weather requires evacuation, in fact the actual percentages, while difficult to establish, are usually localized to the epicentre of a storm. Recently, in my area of Western Ontario we had an intense rainfall that caused severe flooding in one portion of the county. A number of homes were evacuated. This number was small vs the number of homes in the storm area where the occupants remained. However some did experience varying levels
of flooding, power outages and service interruptions.

In May of 2023 and updated in January of 2024, the Government of Canada released its first ever National Risk Profile. Called a “A National Emergency Preparedness and Awareness Tool,” this book is a goldmine of information to help your understanding of disaster risk from the three most costly climatic
issues: earthquakes, wildfires and flooding. To quote this 176-page book: “As the frequency and intensity of natural hazards across Canada increases, the importance of promoting and building resilience becomes evident.” You can read this book online for free. This book should almost be required reading for any homeowner.

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The number of questions that come up after we have given our public service presentation on housing and the climate crisis questions usually makes our one hour time space grow to double that length. 80 percent of the comments and questions usually contain the comment, “I can’t afford to do this to my home.” After this question period is finished, most of the attendees leave realizing that the majority of the improvements, if packaged together for an
average home cost less than $5,000. This covers multiple improvements and upgrades, most of which any handy homeowner can complete themselves with some guidance, hence our free, downloadable booklets.

Along with a list of improvements to your home the pamphlets break down a timeframe, a list of what to watch at 72 hours, a warning at 48 hours and 24 hours and once the storm hits. I have talked to a number of families who have gone through a flood and major wind storm and the comment “I wish I had of done this” arises. Understanding the threat level and having a printed guidance to follow, we are convinced will save some degree of property damage along with some confidence in the capability of your home to survive a storm.

We broke this down into five threat types even though the government risk profile covered three issues. We expanded it to Flooding, Heat and Fire, Cold and Winter, Wind and Storm, and Power Outage. Each section lists any current threat you may have once you are exposed to it, identify where you are on your home repair timeline and how to work through the checklist. Our intent is
to provide a methodical, safe and easy to digest brochure to complete these improvements. The Readiness Playbook is done in bullet point form with clear understandable directions. This 16 page booklet will also be available in a premium paper bound booklet with lots of space for your notes and reminders. The hard copy request remains a free booklet, with a small mailing fee.

Nearly every emergency program advises how the individual can protect themselves and their families, this is certainly a priority. That said, a condensed documented process for attempting to protect your home, given the huge percentage of homes that remain occupied during a major climate issue, should be the next priority.

We anticipate releasing these two booklets by mid August, I will put a note on my column at that time as to where you can go online to download your free copy. Protecting our homes, the largest single asset most people own in a lifetime, is a necessity given today’s climate extremes.

Images from Depositphotos