How To Prepare For A Flood: 12 Tips You Can Implement Now

It’s raining, it’s pouring, the old man is snoring, goes the old saying. But better not find the old man snoring when there’s water threatening to flood your personal space.

Time is of the essence where potential flood water is concerned. Assuring lives and properties are protected from the threat of flooding takes a little bit of planning. Here are super flood-control ideas that will help you prepare for a possible flood in or outside of your home.

These tips are handy as basic precautionary tips or during pre-evacuation periods. Water is everywhere. Don’t get caught off guard by unexpected flooding in your home.

1. First things first, find the facts

When considering details to protect against exterior flooding it is important to get as many facts as you can. Weather is obviously a clear factor to consider; but watery weather’s effects is a whole different fluid conversation. You may be surprised at just how much is involved when excessive water strikes.

2. Check the unexpected (Flood zones)

In most neighborhoods local ordinances assist greatly with tracking and maintaining surrounding flood zones, waterways, and drainage capacities. If you are new to home ownership it is wise to check with your local municipal chapter or the federal governmental FEMA flood maps to learn how flooding could affect your properties and property values.

3. Height of your home

If your home is not built with piers, stilts or on higher ground you may want to consider revisions, especially if you live within a coastal or flood zoned area. The risk of allowing water to invade your home is far too great to be left to chance.

While a little costly, raising your home even an inch or two is better than the havoc wreaked if those minor amounts get inside the home. Just ask any flood victim.

4. Electrical concerns

Any amount of standing water that is located near electrical outlets, circuit breakers, switches, sockets, transformers and power lines is a deadly hazard. If possible, shut off all home or office electrical main switches prior to inclement weather. Rain, lightning and wind can be Mother Nature’s most misread threats.

Make sure to check all indoor and outdoor outlets, panels and wiring. It doesn’t take long for water to rise even a few inches. Never hesitate to have your local electrician move all electrical components raised at least one foot above your area’s flood level for extra precaution.

5. Natural gas

Natural gas is often a forgotten detail when it comes to the topic of flooding. Please be warned not to turn off gas at the main meter without professional utility assistance. Do make sure gas appliances are turned off at the normally used source such as a knob or button.

Today’s modern world invites a host of wonderful products to make lives easier. Along with convenience comes responsibility with the ever-changing technologies. Many appliances, for example come with filters that require periodic replacement to keep the appliance running at their best. These filters also propose minor concerns where if not replaced on a regular basis can cause appliance failures and even flooding.

Freezer filters and washing machine filters are two examples to pay close attention to. When filters are not changed properly, blockages can occur resulting in water lines bursting and other mechanical problems.

6. Install a Sump Pump

Keeping water away from the basement or other structural areas of a home is a critical step in protecting property from water damage. A sump pump is designed to collect water from the ground surrounding your home. As the sump pump basin fills with water, it is emptied out, away from the home. This can save thousands of dollars of flood repair.

Additionally, installing a crawl space sump pump can provide greater peace of mind during times of higher water levels under the home that threaten to encroach into lower level crawl spaces and flooring.

7. Grade your lawn

Have you really ever given much thought to how your lawn and landscaping can affect water retention and flow? Believe it or not, how your yard is graded can make a huge difference where water will accumulate or drain.

Make sure the home is higher than street level. The lawn should decline toward the street, allowing for less pooling and water accumulation at the base of the home’s structure. Heavier soils and clay should be used to strengthen and conform the lawn’s integrity for better wear.

8. Landscaping ideas

If it’s going to flood you may as well try to make it as pleasant an experience as possible. Working with a professional landscaper whose knows a thing or two about the right types of plants to use in various weather-related scenarios can help. Designing a beautifully landscaped exterior can help to promote flood-prevention pathways for a safer, more secured home.

It only makes sense that water will find the path of least resistance. Curbing soil erosion is one main goal you will want to address. Try these easy landscaping ideas to create a beautiful exterior that offer a little added protection.

– Select indigenous plants which assist water to drain more effectively while preventing soil erosion.

– Adding mulch will help to repel and absorb excess water. It also helps with soil erosion.

– Plant beautiful grass to help absorb excess water. Don’t cut too short, as this can weaken roots and interrupt proper growth.

– Rain gardens are lovely ways to protect against soil erosion. They are designed to use specific plants which filter water away from the house. Rain gardens are often located in shallow ground depressions that help attract and absorb excess water from spouts and gutters.

– Adding a French drainage system in yards along with other drainage methods near driveways, patios and sidewalks are smart ways to keep water moving away from the home. Make sure to keep all drainage systems cleared of leaves, dirt and debris.

9. Gutters and down sprouts

Many homes are equipped with gutters and down spouts which help direct flowing water from roof tops away from the home. Make sure gutters are cleared of leaves and debris for better water flow. Otherwise, clogging can cause a more aggressive waterfall effect creating pooling and puddling near the home.

Also, it is important to turn down spouts away from the home. Direct the bottom of the spout toward the most desirable downhill direction where water can easily flow away.

10. Home improvement products

Equipping your home with quality products that are designed to either deter, repel or completely stop oncoming water can be helpful solutions where water or flooding is a concern.

– Flooring options that are best suited for water-prone areas include vinyl, ceramic tile and concrete. It is important to treat all grout and porous surfaces with a water proof or water-resistant sealant such as rubber, epoxy or stain. While some wood flooring is a convenient product for minor spills, keep in mind there are cracks between slats and next to walls where water will seep one way or the other.

– Dry floodproofing is another term used for sealing a building water tight. This procedure keeps interior items safe and dry. This permanent sealing method is a long-lasting waterproofing application specifically used on brick veneer, sheathing and siding. If your home is located in areas where high humidity, heavy rainfall or snow is the norm, dry floodproofing is worth a look.

– Marine-grade plywood, pressure-treated woods, foam insulation and closed-cell insulation each contribute their own sense of water-resistant/water proofing benefits. Though every home is unique, incorporating as many of these products can significantly impact the amount of water your home is met with.

– Steel trusses, stainless steel fixtures, headers and hard plastics are non-porous products that can withstand water’s damaging effects for a lengthy period of time. These items are useful either indoors or outdoors and are designed to last.

– Investing a small amount of time and money by installing a vapor barrier or impermeable polyethylene sheeting is a smart solution for keeping moisture in its place. After a flood or during high humidity high moisture levels seep into walls, flooring and anything porous. The protective sheeting helps to keep excess moisture, airborne, surface-born mold and mildew spores from penetrating further into your home.

– Sand bags and make-shift sand bags may sound like an old-fashioned way of keeping water from entering the home; but they actually can work. As we take a lesson from Mother Nature’s beaches and sand dunes all around the world, sand bags and sand levees are invaluable features for the safety and integrity of the world around them.

Sand bags can become very heavy, so it is important to create them close to their destined resting spot. Fill heavy trash bags with sand. Disperse and layer bags closely together, one on top of the other around vulnerable flood zone spots to help reduce or eliminate water invasion. You can also fill heavy trash bags with water or soaked towels if sand is not readily available. Secure tightly.

11. New Flood Prevention Ideas

The 21st century is on the move for dealing with a problem that has been around since the beginning of time. As new home building strategies change, better flood solutions are needed. Here are some creative flood prevention ideas that are based on similar methodologies used in the past, only more ingenious.

– The Water Gate is a self-stabilizing PVC device. The pressure of oncoming water does the protective work for you by meeting the Water Gate’s flexible wall as it holds water back from the home’s perimeters. One person can set this product up in a few hours for complete water protection for homes and vehicles.

– The Water Inflated Property Barrier (WIPP System) is a highly durable water-filled tube reaching up to 150 feet made of vinyl-coated polyester. Much like its ancestor the sand/water bag, filling this flexible tube with water inflates with the help of an internal support structure to create a weighted wall that blocks outside flood waters from encroaching. Easy set up and tear down makes it a convenient flood protection resource.

– Kids will love this interlocking, stacked flood preventive product called the FloodBlock. This ingenious product is set up much like a box that holds water. Its foam padding bottom creates a seal that prevents water from entering underneath. As flood waters meet the FloodBlock, water seeps inside where it is contained, assisting outside waters to recede.

Easy set up and tear down with its space-saving storage protocol makes this product one you can keep around for immediate use whenever flooding might occur.

– The Hertiage Floodguard is a smartly designed flood control product that make doors and windows top priorities where home protection from floods is concerned. Sometimes flooding isn’t bad enough to seep through exterior walls into the home; but water still threatens doors and windows. Flash flooding is an excellent example of when to use the Hertiage Floodguard.

This product is also a great addition to use with other flood prevention products for extra protection. Its reusable, lightweight barrier stops water as a permanent barrier would.

12. Flood insursance

Last, but not least is the option of carrying flood insurance. Depending on where you live, home owner’s insurance plans may or may not service flooding issues, regardless of cause. It is worth the time and cost to explore flood insurance options through personal insurance plans and governmental resources.

All flood insurance plans are not created equal, either. Some may cover interior coverage for accidental flooding from appliances, broken pipes, etc. Some may not. Others may cover a certain portion of water damage from natural causes such as heavy rain, snow melts, etc.

Mother Nature has a way of keeping you on your toes, ready for action for all kinds of inclement weather. Floods have been a hot topic of conversation since Biblical days. Being as prepared as possible for flooding potential is a critical move regardless of home type or location.

Taking action using as many of these handy tips as possible can help you prepare for the unexpected. Make a plan to stock up on the solutions that are best-suited for your home’s protection. Investing in these useful precautions is a smart way to create the peace of mind you need should flooding ever look you square in the eye.