A flood can be devastating and can quickly destroy your home and all of your belongings. No matter where you live, you can have a flood. Some people live under the misconception that if they do not live close to the water, they will never have to deal with flooding. Bad storms can come along and cause flooding even if you are miles away from water. Being prepared for floods is imperative and can help you to save your home.
Purchasing Flood Insurance
One of the best ways to protect your home is to purchase flood insurance. You might think that your homeowner’s insurance policy will cover flooding, but it will not. You will have to have additional flood insurance to ensure that you will be covered. Your homeowner’s insurance company should have a separate plan, or you can always go through the National Flood Insurance Program.
Raising Your Home
If you do live in an area that is prone to flooding, you may want to consider raising your home. This can be done on piers and silts and is a great way to ensure that floodwaters do not enter your home. You will want to find out the flood level to ensure that you raise your home high enough to prevent water from entering. Even one inch of water getting into your home can wreak havoc.
Install A Sump Pump and Foundation Vents
To make sure that you protect your home, you will want to add foundation vents. Foundation vents will allow the water to go through your home and not pool around it. They will relieve the pressure that the water will put on your basement windows and walls. You should also have a sump pump added to help pump water out of your basement. It is a good idea to install a sump pump with a backup battery in case the power goes out.
Protect Your Home With Sealants
A good idea is to apply sealants to the doorways, windows, walls, and the foundation of your home. When there is a flood, this sealant helps to prevent floodwater from coming into your home through cracks in the foundation. There are many sealant options available, so make sure that you do your research to find the best sealant possible.
Raising Your Electrical Outlets
You should have all of your electrical outlets and switches at least a foot above the flood level in your area. When they are lower, this can cause significant damage to the electrical system and put you at risk for severe injuries. If your electrical outlets are below the flood level, have an electrician come out and raise them as soon as possible.
Installing Check Valves On Piping
The pipes that are connected to your home have valves, and they prevent the sewage system from backing up and filling your home with the floodwater. Gate valves work better than the flap valves as they can stand up to water pressure better. If you find that you do not have check valves, you will want to contact a plumber to come out as soon as possible to install them.
Flood Gates
You should have flood gates to go over each one of your doors. These gates will help to keep the water outside of your home. They should be able to withstand a lot of water pressure. Make sure that if you know it is going to flood, you put these up immediately.
Sandbags
If you live in an area prone to floods or you are told your area may experience flooding, it is not a bad idea to go ahead and get some sandbags ready. Sandbags can help to keep the water out of our home effectively. You will want to make sure that you have enough sandbags to go around your entire house. In some areas, where flooding happens frequently, the city or town may have free sandbags and sand, so be sure to check about this before you spend money purchasing sandbags.
Flood water can quickly do severe damage to your home. If you know you are going to have a flooding issue, you will want to prepare immediately. The more you are prepared, the better chance you will have of keeping floodwaters out of your home.
