Skip to main content

Building resilience to extreme weather

Why Extreme Weather Home Resilience in Canada Matters More Than Ever

Climate resilience means being able to withstand extreme weather and bounce back from the disasters it could cause. The rise in global temperatures is leading to unpredictable flooding, wildfires, heatwaves, and other hazards that are hitting Canada harder than ever1.

That’s why it’s critical to be proactive. Here are some ideas for you to start safeguarding your home.

Flood Protection for Your Home

Flooding can happen in different ways, depending on where you live, and every home is unique. The good news is that protecting your home does not have to be complicated or expensive.

Understand How Water Enters a Home — Floods often happen because several things occur at once—heavy rain, flash foods, melting snow, or sewer systems backed up. Homes in cities are especially at risk because concrete, pavement, and rooftops don’t absorb water.

Maintain what you’ve got at least twice per year — Seasonal tasks and cost-effective measures can make a significant difference, such as cleaning out eavestroughs, testing your sump pump, and checking for leaks in plumbing.

Complete needed upgrades — Simple upgrades such as installing flood alarms, to complex ones such as installing a backwater valve can help prevent basement flooding in your home.

Fall Home Maintenance Checklist

This is a critical time to help prepare your home against flooding. Work through this list and head into winter with more confidence.

Download the Checklist

Tips on How to Protect Your Home Against Flooding

If you live in a home with a basement, here are some simple, low-cost steps you can take to help protect your home against flooding.

Improvements you make to your home today can help you reduce the risk of water entering your home later.

Flood Protection Guide for Canadian Homeowners

Don’t wait for the next flood – simple upgrades now can help mitigate costly damages later.

Download Full Flood Guide

Wildfire protection for your home

Wildfire protection for your home

Wildfires can happen with little warning and spread quickly. Many houses catch on fire from embers and small flames rather than large, direct blazes. Trim trees so they’re not touching your walls or roofline and clear dry debris from your roof and gutters. Simple fixes that cost less than $300 can help make all the difference.

Read more here

Extreme heat protection for your home

Extreme heat protection for your home

Extreme heat events are projected to become more frequent, which means Canadians need to be prepared.

Sign up for local alerts, ventilate your home strategically, consider sleeping in cooler parts of your home, and begin planting more greenery around your home.

Read more here

Other extreme weather

Other extreme weather

Beyond floods, wildfires, and extreme heat, Canadians also face hail, strong winds, ice storms, and poor air quality from nearby fires. These can affect communities from coast to coast to coast. Find out which risks are more relevant to where you live and if your municipal or provincial government has resources to help you stay alert and prepared.

Fall Home Prep Banner

Finance your renovation project with RBC

Use your home equity

Borrowing money against the equity of your home could help finance your renovation project at lower rates than other types of loans.

Finance Your Project
Room under renovation

More ways to protect your home

The information included in this website is provided for general information purposes only. The recipient is solely liable for any use of the information contained in this website, and neither RBC nor any of its affiliates nor any of their respective directors, officers, employees or agents shall be held responsible for any direct or indirect damages arising from the use of the information included in this website. This website contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of certain securities laws. Information contained in this website is or may be based on assumptions, estimates and judgements. For cautionary statements relating to the information in this website, refer to the “Caution regarding forward-looking statements” and the “Important notice regarding this Report” appendices in RBC’s 2025 Sustainability Report, available at our Sustainability Reporting site. Except as required by law, none of RBC or any of its affiliates undertake to update any information in this website.
RBC GAM operates through indirectly wholly owned subsidiaries of the bank including, but not limited to: RBC Global Asset Management Inc. (including Phillips, Hager & North Investment Management), RBC Indigo Asset Management Inc., RBC Global Asset Management (U.S.) Inc., RBC Global Asset Management (UK) Limited and RBC Global Asset Management (Asia) Limited. RBC WM operates through indirectly wholly owned subsidiaries of the bank including, but not limited to: (a) RBC Dominion Securities Inc. (Member–Canadian Investor Protection Fund), RBC Direct Investing Inc. (Member–Canadian Investor Protection Fund), Royal Mutual Funds Inc., RBC Phillips, Hager & North Investment Counsel Inc., RBC Capital Markets, LLC, RBC Wealth Management Financial Services Inc., Royal Trust Corporation of Canada and The Royal Trust Company; (b) City National Bank and its subsidiaries; and (c) Brewin Dolphin Holdings Limited and its subsidiaries.