5 Home Owner Steps To Reduce Flood Damage

If you live in an area where there are is flooding often, there are things you can do to protect your property and belongings. Following these simple tips to facilitate water extraction and keep your home from being completely damaged could save you time, money, and emotional stress.

5. Keep Water from the Window Wells

Windows can’t handle much water pressure. To keep flood waters from seeping into your home through the window, build dams around the windows outside of your house. Shape the ground to go from the window the lawn. This way, the water will flow away from your home instead of toward it.

4. Cut Down on Drain Flooding

Once you receive a flood warning for your area, unscrew the toilets and stop the outlet pipe. Do the same for the shower drains. This procedure should also be followed for the sink in the basement and the washing machine. However, the drains for these appliances are usually three feet or more above the floor, so they may not be affected unless the flooding is severe. However, it’s best to be safe than sorry.

3. Elevate Valuable Items

When you know a flood is coming to your area, move all your valuable items to the highest level of your home. Get all of your family photo albums from the basement, grab your tax records and important bank documents from the kitchen drawer, and get your family heirlooms from the living room or dining room and take them to the second or third level of your home or the attic. Water extraction can be performed in individual rooms, but many objects housed therein will likely be destroyed.

2. Keep Your Major Appliances Safe

Go to your breaker panel or fuse box and shut off all the large appliances in your home. This includes your refrigerator, washer and dryer and freezer. Elevate the appliances on cement blocks so that water will not damage the motors. If you can’t lift the items to place blocks under them, wrap the machines in polyethylene and secure the wrapping with a rope. The appliances will still be affected by the water, but the debris and silt from the flood will not damage the machines.

1. Prepare to Evacuate

Talk honestly with your children about what you’ll need to do if your home is ever flooded. Come up with an evacuation plan and pack non-perishable food that your family will be able to survive on. Practice your evacuation route and arrange to go to a family or friends house where conditions are safe until you are able to go home.