Flood being the natural disaster, can not be stopped, and if you are living in an area with the flood warning. You need to have some serious attention to securing your house from the water damage. To protect your house from the flood, you need to know the risk of flood in your area. Pre-incident preparations are needed to be made.
Firstly you need to evaluate your house to what extent it can bear the flooding. There is an institute that FEMA will show the flood map for the risk in your area. This map includes different color zones marking to shows the rate of risk in that specific area. Blue and orange zones are the safest of all; the yellow zone is the undetermined type of area whereas the zone with blue and red stripes are on the verge of flood regularly because they have river around them.
- Keep drainage clean: keep a check on the rain gutter and downspouts, if they are clogged the water can come back through the drainage system. Make it your routine to maintain the gutter. While checking the gutter, remove the leaves and debris from the gutter so that the water does not get blocked. For more convenience use the downspout extenders which can extend the water level to 10 feet away in the pipes.
- Installation of sump pump: if you live in an area that is at the risk of flood, make sure to install a sump pump, these are mostly used in basements to pump out the excess water which accumulates in the house. But before installation, you should compare different types of sump pump by using a sump pump comparison guide.
- Using the foundation vents: foundation vent is a penetration made in the wall for the air to circulate. In flood warned areas, the things or the material often stays wet which can produce rot or fungus.. to avoid such a situation; you can use foundation vent. It provides a lot of help to the flood affected area.
- Fill your cracks: If there are any cracks of some air passing hole or space in your house, make a coating and sealants to fill the cracks in the windows or the doorway, it will help the prevention of the water from entering the house. If you’re unsure, it may be worth getting a damp survey.
- Increase the distance of sockets and wires from the floor: do not keep the sockets and electrical switches near the floor. Place them at least 1.5 meters above the flooring so that the danger of electric wires getting all wet. Because it may not only make a financial loss, but it caan be hazardous to your health.
The step you should take when the flood is already started:
- Move all the stuff of your house that can cost you a lot like electronics, carpets and other things to the first floor.
- Use the sump pump so the water can quickly flow out from the house.
- Turn off all the electricity connection to your house to avoid any significant damage.
- If your drainage or pipeline system is leaking, turn off the main water supply to avoid further damage.
- Finally, call an emergency plumber to fix the issue.
