Six Ways to Protect Your Home From Flooding

2/2/2020 (Permalink)

SERVPRO of Northern Summit County has the expertise and the resources to handle water damage in your home.

Six Ways to Protect Your Home From Flooding

Flooding can strike anywhere at anytime. Floods are a common and expensive natural disaster in the U.S. If you ignore this risk, you could be left with a destroyed home and belongings. It is hard to prevent flooding, but by taking little precautions and actions you help avoid major damage from a potential flood. The first step in avoiding a flooding risk is knowing the flood level of your home with an official measure of how high floodwaters could rise.

Your next steps in protecting your home from flooding should include the following:

1. Make sure to raise switches, sockets, circuit breakers and wiring at least a foot above the expected flood level.
2. Fuel tanks, air-conditioning units and generators should be anchored above your flood level as well.
3. A flooded sewer system can cause sewage to back up in your home, so you will want to install an interior or exterior back-flow valve.
4. The grading or slope of the house can direct water either way from your house. This can be determined by watching how water flows.
5. If your home floods frequently you can raise your home on piers or columns so the lowest floor is above flood level.
6. Make sure to have clear gutters, drains and downspouts. You will also want to move furniture, rugs, electronics and other belongings to upper floors when flooding will not happen.
   
   Bonus tip, you will want to shut off electricity at the breaker panel with any sign of flooding. If flooding increases you will want to elevate major appliances onto concrete blocks if they're in harm's way.

SERVPRO of Northern Summit County has the expertise and the resources to handle water damage in your home. If you need assistance call (330) 650-4486