How Can Flood Damage Be Reduced?

As a homeowner, there are a lot of potential dangers that you need to consider while protecting your investment. You have smoke detectors too. Notify you of a fire, CO2 detectors to protect your family of a potentially deadly leak, home security and surveillance systems to detour or help catch potential burglars or other unsavoury individuals, but what can we do to reduce the potential damage from floodwaters. Flooding is the number one disaster declared nationally, and even though there isn’t a guaranteed method of preventing flooding there are several ways to reduce the extent of the damage caused during a flood.

Floodwater can often enter your home by backing up your basement floor drains. You can prevent this from occurring by installing a backwater valve, alternatively, you can plug your basement floor drains using a rubber plug designed to plug floor drains found at your local home improvement store. If you are in a pinch and notice water backing up your drains you can try plugging them with items found around the house, just be sure that you are able to remove these items when the flooding stops.

A sump pump is designed to remove water from your basement in case of a flood. If you do not have a sump pump we suggest having one installed. They are not a huge upfront cost and can save you during a time of need. If you do have a sump pump, it may not have been used in a while or ever. If you are lucky enough to be in this category it is a good idea to test the system to ensure it is working. Using a large bucket, pour water into the basin until the float rises triggering the system to pump out the water. Make sure the water is discharged at a safe distance from your home.

At first signs of a flood move all valuable from the lower levels of your house to higher ground. This includes items of great personal importance like photo albums, family videos, and important documents and items that have a high monetary value such as expensive furnishing and electronics. If possible store these items on higher ground at all times to limit the potential loss in case of a flood.

Look into flood insurance, standard homeowner’s insurance will not cover the damage and loss left over by a flood. With flood protection from your insurance company, you will drastically reduce the expense you would be facing if you were to find yourself in a flood situation as the insurance company will cover the cost of the water damage restoration.

You do not need to be located near a large body of water or in a low-lying area to be considering protecting your home from potential flooding, many of the items discussed here are fairly easy to implement and you will not break the bank doing so.