Floods and landslides: what to do before, during and after
Get the go bag and anything that matters above the water line, kill the power before you leave, and do not walk or drive into floodwater.
By Hamza Rivera, updated
Short answer: PAGASA's General Flood Advisory has five levels, Monitoring, Alert, Warning, Severe and Final, and at Severe it recommends forced evacuation. The guide advises moving belongings above the expected water level, switching off the electricity at the main switch before you leave, and not walking or driving into floodwater.
Written for the Philippines. In an emergency here, the number is 911.
The same days of rain produce both of these, which is why they sit on one page. Flooding is what happens on flat ground and landslides are what happens on the slope above it, and a household near a creek at the foot of a hill is exposed to both at once.
The five flood advisory levels, and the one that changes the verb
There is no number to measure these against, so the bars are drawn by how serious each level is rather than by the order PAGASA prints them in. That is why Final, which is the all clear, drops back to the bottom instead of towering over Severe. The word above each bar is PAGASA own instruction, and the fourth is the one to read twice: it says force evacuation where the third says take appropriate action.
- Monitoring
- Monitor for possible flooding. Light to moderate rainfall. Take precautionary measures.
- Alert
- Alert for possible flash floods and landslides. Moderate to heavy rainfall.
- Warning
- Flood is occurring and immediate action is recommended. Heavy to intense rainfall.
- Severe
- Flood is persisting and forced evacuation is recommended. Intense to torrential rainfall.
- Final
- Light rains, and flooding is no longer possible.
Source: PAGASA, Weather Icons, the flood warning legend. Read 23 September 2026. These are the non-telemetered rows of the General Flood Advisory, which PAGASA issues for river basins without automatic gauges.
What each PAGASA flood warning means
| Level | What it means | What PAGASA advises |
|---|---|---|
| Monitoring | Monitor for possible flooding in the area. Light to moderate rainfall. | Take precautionary measures. |
| Alert | Alert for possible flash floods and landslides. Moderate to heavy rainfall. | Be alert for possible flood, flash flood and landslides. |
| Warning | Flood is occurring and immediate action is recommended. Heavy to intense rainfall. | Take appropriate action. |
| Severe | Flood is persisting and forced evacuation is recommended. Intense to torrential rainfall. | Force evacuation. |
| Final | Light rains, and flooding is no longer possible. | PAGASA gives no action for this level. |
The wording in the last column is PAGASA own. Its severe row says force evacuation rather than advise evacuation, and that is the whole difference between the fourth level and the third.
Source: PAGASA, Weather Icons, the flood warning legend. Read 23 September 2026. These are the non-telemetered rows of the General Flood Advisory, which PAGASA issues for river basins without automatic gauges.
Floods and landslides: the three parts of this guide
Each part below carries its own steps and names the agency they came from. The phase you need is usually the one you are already in.
- Before: 7 steps
- While the rain is still only rain, and once a flood warning is up.
- During: 4 steps
- Once the water is up.
- After: 7 steps
- Floodwater leaves contamination and live circuits behind it.
Before
While the rain is still only rain, and once a flood warning is up.
- Find out how often your area floods, and know the flood warning system in your community.
- Keep up with the weather every day, and listen to the radio for emergency instructions.
- Agree an evacuation area for the family and any livestock, and give each person a job in the plan.
- Keep food that needs little cooking, drinking water in containers, a radio, a flashlight with spare batteries and a first aid kit ready. The water and the power may both be cut. The full list is on the go bag page.
- Move belongings above the level the water is expected to reach, and livestock to higher ground.
- Watch for fast-rising water. If you need to evacuate, go before the floodwater cuts off the way out.
- Before you leave, switch off the electricity at the main switch and the gas tank, and lock the house.
Source: PAGASA, Floods: Flood Safety Rules. Read 9 October 2026.
Source: PAGASA, Storm Surge. Read 23 September 2026. The definition, the Filipino name, the cause, the three factors and the wording of the advice are from that page. The warning level heights and their impacts are set out there as a coloured table image with no text alternative, so the rows were read from the image, the same way the PHIVOLCS drill primer and the rainfall warning icons were.
During
Once the water is up.
- Stay away from areas that flood suddenly.
- Do not walk or drive through floodwater. PAGASA says to beware of roads and bridges under water. The DOH says floodwater is dirty, and to stay out of it.
- Do not go swimming or boating in swollen rivers.
- Eat only well-cooked food and keep leftovers covered. Drink only clean, or better, boiled water.
Source: PAGASA, Floods: Flood Safety Rules. Read 9 October 2026.
Source: DOH, On guard for leptospirosis as rainy season continues, press release of 7 August 2024. Read 9 October 2026.
After
Floodwater leaves contamination and live circuits behind it.
- Do not go into disaster areas. PAGASA says your presence can get in the way of rescue.
- Go back into the house with care, with a flashlight. PAGASA says not a lantern or a flame: flammables may be inside.
- Watch for broken wires, and report broken power, water, gas and phone lines.
- Do not turn on the main switch or use appliances until a competent electrician has checked them.
- Do not eat food or drink water until it has been checked for floodwater contamination.
- If you waded through floodwater, see a doctor or health centre within 24 to 48 hours. The DOH says not to wait for symptoms.
- Find and empty containers that hold rainwater, so mosquitoes cannot breed in them.
Source: PAGASA, Floods: Flood Safety Rules. Read 9 October 2026.
Source: DOH, On guard for leptospirosis as rainy season continues, press release of 7 August 2024. Read 9 October 2026.
Landslides
PHIVOLCS names intense rainfall as one of the triggers of landslides, so a PAGASA rainfall warning is the first warning for a landslide too. When one is up for your area, follow your LGU or barangay, and leave when they call an evacuation.
When a rainfall warning is up for your area, follow your LGU or barangay on landslides as on floods. The kinds of landslide and what causes them are on the landslide page.
Source: PAGASA, Weather Icons, the rainfall warning legend. Read 23 September 2026. The hourly millimetre figures are from PAGASA's official statement of 16 January 2019, which classes heavy rain as 7.5 to 15 mm an hour, intense as 15 to 30 mm and torrential as more than 30 mm. The legend names the warning levels Advisory, Alert and Emergency and does not use colour names, so the colours were read from its icons, named alert, warning and critical, which are yellow, orange and red in that order.
The rainfall warning that comes before the flood
PAGASA issues a yellow, orange or red rainfall warning. Its legend says flooding is possible at yellow and threatening at orange, in low-lying areas and near river channels. At red, severe flooding is expected and PAGASA says to take necessary precautionary measures. Leave when your LGU or barangay calls an evacuation.
It is a different scale from the numbered wind signals, and one can be raised without the other.
What each rainfall warning means
Source: PAGASA, Weather Icons, the rainfall warning legend. Read 23 September 2026. The hourly millimetre figures are from PAGASA's official statement of 16 January 2019, which classes heavy rain as 7.5 to 15 mm an hour, intense as 15 to 30 mm and torrential as more than 30 mm. The legend names the warning levels Advisory, Alert and Emergency and does not use colour names, so the colours were read from its icons, named alert, warning and critical, which are yellow, orange and red in that order.
Pack the bag once
Every section above assumes a bag is already packed. There is one list on this site and it covers all four hazards, with UNICEF Philippines named as its source.
Related guides
- Types of landslide
The five kinds of movement PHIVOLCS names, and what sets one off.
- Yellow, orange and red rainfall warnings
The rain behind each colour, and what to do at each.
- Barangay evacuation map template
A blank sheet for drawing the routes and the safe ground.
- Leptospirosis after a flood
The symptoms to watch for after wading, and what the DOH says to do.
- Power, floodwater and generators
Meralco’s steps for a flooded house, and the DOH warning on generators.
- Flash floods and the types of flood
What PAGASA means by a flash flood, and the causes of flooding it lists.
- Check your address on HazardHunterPH
The free government tool for flood, landslide, earthquake and volcano hazards.
The other hazards on this site
- Typhoons: what to do before, during and after
Watch the wind signal PAGASA has raised over your province, get the go bag and the documents above the water line, and go when your barangay says go.
- Earthquakes: what to do before, during and after
Duck, cover and hold. Stay inside if the building is sound, get to open ground if you are outside, and get to high ground if you are near the shore.