Townsville & North Queensland · Guide

The first-hour flood and burst pipe checklist

What you do in the first hour after a flood or burst pipe decides how much of your home you keep. Here is the order to do it in.

Do these first

  1. Stay safe. Keep clear of water near power points and switchboards. If the water is sewage or storm water, treat it as contaminated and do not wade through it.
  2. Stop the source. For a burst pipe or leak, turn off your stop tap. For monsoon or storm flooding, you cannot stop it, so move to protecting contents.
  3. Cut the power if needed. If water is near electrics and the switchboard is safe to reach, turn it off. If in doubt, stay out and call an electrician.
  4. Lift and move. Get furniture, electronics, documents and anything valuable up high and out of the water.
  5. Call a restoration team. The faster water is extracted and drying starts, the more is saved. In Townsville's humidity, mould can begin within a day.
  6. Tell your insurer and take photos. Photograph everything before you move or throw anything out. It all supports your claim.

What not to do

When to call us

If water has reached floors, walls or contents, start a chat or use the callback form on the page. We answer 24/7, reach you fast across Townsville, and handle everything from extraction to drying to the insurance paperwork.

Need help right now? Call us.

A real person picks up, day or night.