How Do You Keep Your Basement Water-Free?

It’s so beautiful outside today you’d never know about the downpours yesterday–but it looks like more rain is on the way this weekend. Neighbor Helayne wonders if anyone has had experience drying out and preventing flooding in the basement of an older house. She says:

There are so many ways to waterproof the basements of our old homes. I would love to hear about neighbors’ experiences and how they decided which method to use and who they hired. I am hoping to find some insight into this problem that plagues or has plagued every Victorian home in the area.

What different ways are there to keep basements dry, and can you do it yourself or is it better to hire a professional? And how do the basements of Victorians differ from other buildings?