Rain Clears and Recovery Begins for Western Sydney Floods. Shot in Windsor and Pitt Town, NSW, Australia, following the flood in March 2022

The National Electrical and Communications Association (NECA) has released a comprehensive guide to assist flood-affected businesses and households across Queensland and Northern NSW to keep safe from electrical risks.

The guide for floods and electricity in the home or business contains life-saving electrical safety information with specific protocols for those affected before, during and after flooding events. The guide includes critical information such as evacuation checklists, managing ongoing risks and correct procedures in the flood’s aftermath.

The guide contains other vital life-saving reminders, such as:

• A licensed electrician must be engaged to check and test flood-affected installations and is the only person qualified to do any repairs.
• Solar and battery systems can still produce electricity even with the inverter turned off.
• Avoidance and protocol around power lines.
• Metal roofs, downpipes and metallic roof sarking may become live following flooding events.

NECA is imploring people affected by floods to use the guide to prevent needless safety risks and incidents amidst already extremely challenging times for residents.

“The consumer’s guide for floods and electricity in the home or business is designed to minimise whatever difficulty and risk we can for the Aussies who have been hit hardest by these devastating floods,” NECA chief executive Oliver Judd says.

“It is crucial that whilst we deal with the immediate impacts of these major weather events, we do not lose sight of the unseen risks that electricity presents to homes and businesses. This guide provides clear advice to assist in keeping you and your loved ones safe.

“Remember electricity and water don’t mix. If in doubt, be conservative, play it safe and call a licensed electrician to do a full safety check before you do anything.”

The guide can be downloaded here or found on the NECA website here.