The first step is to determine where the water is coming from. Is your basement simply too deep and the water rising up from below? Is the water coming in from the surface?

The most important step is directing water away from the foundation. This may involve grading the slope away from the house. Gutters, either the standard roof type or in ground with a drain system, can also help.

Sump pumps are commonly used, but if it takes more than one of them, you really need to investigate the causes for so much water. The other issue is, of course, electricity to run them. Electricity has a nasty way of going out just when you most need the pumps.

If this is an old house, check and see if you have a cellar drain that may have become clogged over time.