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Over the past few weeks, thousands of people have had to evacuate their homes as a result of the spring floods in Quebec and parts of Ontario. Now that the water is beginning to withdraw in some regions, those evacuated by flooding may begin to re-enter their homes. Here are 8 safety precautions to follow when you return home.

Clarence-Rockland is a city of just over 22,000 people, about 40 km east of Ottawa. Many of the city’s residents live along the Ottawa River, which is currently at its highest level in decades. Out of approximately 140 homes in the river’s vicinity, 24 have been evacuated and others are still dealing with dangerously high water levels. More on how the Canadian Red Cross is helping affected residents.

In the bustling din of Dhulikhel Hospital’s emergency room, Dr. Sanu Shrestha walks with ease between triage nurses in the waiting room, hovering families at patient beds and doctors rushing to their next consult.

Christina and Chris MacKay stand in the kitchen of their new house in Fort McMurray. It’s nearly finished – the walls are painted, the cupboards are in – they are just awaiting the final touches.
Building a new house was never on the young family’s bucket list.

Meet Erwan Cheneval, a rapid response manager with the Canadian Red Cross. Erwan works to address some of the challenges that happen when mobilizing humanitarian operations, details that are extremely important to the success of these operations. 

In what proved to be a well-timed coincidence, Red Cross volunteer Cheryl Beckett was part of a training exercise last Thursday with the City of Ottawa. Her role was to help set up a mock reception centre. The very next day she would do the same thing but not as part of an exercise this time, as flood waters in Ottawa began to seep into residential areas and many families became unsafe. 

Ongoing heavy rains resulted in flooding in many communities throughout the country, especially in Quebec. The Canadian Red Cross is on the ground to meet urgent needs of families affected by flooding.

Disasters and emergencies, like the spring flooding that’s currently impacting Canadians across the country, put a lot of stress on people who are affected.  It’s important to remember that living through a disaster or emergency is extremely stressful, and because of that it’s totally normal to feel extremely stressed out.