On a list of what could be the most devastating things for someone to go through at home, house floods have to be high on the list.
Along with the cost of your time are the financial implications. Surprisingly, for many, 1 inch of water can do as much as $25,000 worth of damage to a home. For that reason, flood prevention is and should be a priority, especially if you already know that you live in a flood zone.
But what steps can you take? Well, read through our 4 key steps any homeowner should be sure to put into practice.
1. Be Smart With Your Belongings
While getting a full home assessment may be out of the price range for some, there are some basic things that anyone can do to greatly reduce the damage that house floods can bring to your home. One is to pay attention to where you put things.
The high cost of home flooding is often in having to replace big-ticket items or things with sentimental value. To prevent this, make sure that anything that you feel falls into this category goes either upstairs or is kept at a height that won’t leave you filled with regret should the worst happen.
2. Dry-Proof Your Home
If you want to get your house in order before flooding then dry proofing is a must. House floods can be bad news for your home foundations, but for a few dollars, you can sleep a little easier. Caulk and concrete patching work a charm shoring up your defenses and preventing your foundations from weakening.
While you are at it, it pays to give your house the once over with an eye toward ways water could enter. Walls, windows, entry points for pipes, and doors are all areas worth plugging in.
3. Have Good Yard Maintenance
It’s easy to think of the causes of floods as being days of torrential downpours or the banks breaking of a local river. But house floods can also be very local and specific to your home. We’re not talking about burst pipes, but the potential problem of standing water in your yard.
Often the cause of this type of residential flooding is a lack of good maintenance habits. Clogged drains and gutters leave the water with nowhere to go after only one rainy day, meaning potential long-term damage again to those all-important home foundations.
Get into the habit, particularly in the fall, of regularly clearing away the debris from these areas.
4. Pump It Out
So what about if the water is already in your home? If you already know that you live in a flood zone then having a sump pump in your basement is a godsend. Having one means that the speed of your recovery is partly in your hands, which is priceless at a time when many feel powerless.
That being said, simply having one is half the battle.
Remember that most are electrically powered, a problem if your electrics are shot from house floods. The answer is to make sure that yours is battery-powered. If not, consider getting one.
Once the water is in it may be necessary to call in professionals. Find out more about restoration services here.
Getting to Grips With House Floods
We wouldn’t wish the consequences of house floods on anyone, so we hope our preventative measures can go some way towards ensuring that you are protected.
We hope you enjoyed this post. For more great information around the house, please check out the rest of our site!
