With a high risk of flooding anticipated throughout Manitoba this spring, home owners need to understand the potential dangers that can be created by a flooded house. If your home (or business) floods, remember that hazards may exist long after the water dissipates.

On its website, Manitoba Hydro has a number of tips for those with flooded homes. Here are a few critical ones (for the full list, visit www.hydro.mb.ca/safety_and_education/emergencies/flood_safety.shtml):

Flood Safety — Electrical

•If your basement floods, do not attempt to turn off the main power switch. Contact Manitoba Hydro to disconnect power at the pole. Stay clear of anything that could
conduct an electric current such as metal pipes, metal ladders, and even damp wood.

•After a flood: Even if water is not visible in a building, the interior structure may be soaked and still present an electrical hazard. Do not enter flooded basements or buildings that may contain energized electrical wiring or electrical appliances.
•Before re-entering the premises, contact Manitoba Hydro to ensure it is safe to do so. Have a qualified electrician inspect all wiring before turning power on.

Flood Safety — Natural Gas

•Preparing for a flood:
-Turn off the manual shut-off valve to each natural gas appliance.
-Shut off or disconnect them from the electrical supply, if applicable.
-To determine if it is necessary to shut off the natural gas service to your home, contact Manitoba Hydro.

•After a flood:
-If your natural gas appliances have not been flooded, it will be safe to turn on the manual shut-off valves, light pilot lights, and reconnect them to the electrical supply.
-If your natural gas appliances have been flooded, it will be necessary to make arrangements to have a licensed heating contractor inspect them and determine whether they need to be serviced or replaced.

For more information on how to prepare for a possible flood, what to do in case of evacuation and where to get support, visit www.gov.mb.ca/flooding.

The Competition Bureau of Canada, in partnership with the RCMP and other organizations, has designated March as Fraud Prevention Month.

At North Winnipeg Credit Union, we take fraud prevention very seriously and take every precaution to ensure our systems and procedures meet the highest levels of security. But we also rely on members to help us prevent fraud, and one of the important ways you can do that is by securing your home computer.

Online banking is a powerful and convenient tool, but if your home computer becomes compromised, someone pretending to be you may be able to transfer your funds to another location, apply for loans that you’re not aware of or even set up automatic credit card payments for cards that aren’t yours.

To prevent that from happening, there are several things you can do to safeguard your computer:

•Keep your operating system up to date and immediately install all available security patches
•Set up a firewall to prevent authorized access
•Install anti-virus software
•Install anti-spyware software

It’s also recommended that you use a unique alphanumeric password for your online banking and that you change your password on a regular basis. Don’t use the same password as you’ve used for other sites and be sure not to share your password with anyone else.