Seven Ways To Flood-Proof Your House

Generally where we live here in northern Minnesota dealing wit ha flood situation is the last possible problem we could have. HOWEVER, every great now and again, we see so much snow in the winter and such a freak warm up that all several feet of it melts at once. Leaving most of our basements with water in them no matter what we do! This is something I’m rather concerned about this year actually. We have at least four feet of snow on the ground and in no less than four days a high tempt of over forty degrees!

(This is a contributed post, for more information about my compensation please read my disclosure policy)

If there is one thing that is becoming more frequent, it’s severe weather events. It’s like Mother Nature isn’t a fan of us wrecking the planet! Flooding is particularly becoming more and prevalent across the world and it no longer seems to be localized to one particular country anymore. 

It’s critical that you understand how to protect your home in a flood so that you can protect your assets. Don’t forget, you put a lot of money into your house and you want to protect it as much as possible. From knowing how to call Techline Roofing and Restoration to get your roof space sorted to making sure that you’re prepared for the worst, you need to know how to flood-proof your house for the better in the rain season. Let’s take a look at seven ways that you can do it.

1. Evaluate the risks. When you move into a new home, it’s easy to be blinded by all of the exciting things that come with that. As a homeowner, you can gauge your flood risk by heading online and seeing whether there are flood warnings in place. Ideally, you should be doing this before you sign on the dotted line, but you can also buy a home that is supposedly safe and it’ll still flood from a freak event. You can’t always stop a flood from damaging your house and while you might think you don’t need help with your roof during a flood, it’s your only real coverage. It’s always smart to have flood insurance even if you live in an apartment; you just never know how it could impact you. 
2. Move the boiler. If you want to be ready for a flood event then you need to move your boiler. It’s not just the boiler, either, as any units that are run with electricity and are close to the floor (HVAC, utility metres etc) should be moved up and out of the way. The best thing to do here is to get an insurance agent and contractor to advise you on any costs and arrange for this to be moved as soon as possible after moving in. 
3. Call a plumber. A big issue with most flood prone areas is that stormwater flooding is dangerous. There are programs out there that fund the installation of backflow prevention valves and these can stop the sewers from backing into your basement. Sewage is a health risk and if you call a plumber you can ensure that you get the best backflow valves and you’ll then be able to drain off the stormwater after heavy rain. 
4. Consider a landscaper. You need to consider how your landscaping is going to serve your home. You want it to be safe and prevent flooding and if your outdoor landscaping is porous,you’re onto a winner. The porous surfaces may not feel like a good idea but they can encourage water to seep into the ground and prevent it from running down to your house. You can make your landscape look good and keep it functional, especially if you are smart and channel the stormwaters away from the house. 
5. Consider a move. It may not be your first consideration but moving to a location that isn’t hampered by flooding. You can keep yourself safe from rising sea levels too and while it’s pretty to live by the ocean it may not be what’s best for you. You can avoid the costs of rebuilding over and over again when you do this, too. You can check if a new home is going to be affected by flooding when you contact a FEMA office. This will help you to stay out of harm’s way and ensure that you aren’t draining the resources for flood management programs. 
6. Campaign for change. The only real way you can protect your local area from flooding is if you campaign for changes. You can look at how the trends will move with your area and contact your environmental office in the local government. This will help you to start doing more for the safety of your family and your local area. 
7. Know the right services. It’s so important that you know the correct services to ensure that you are able to remain as safe as possible in your quest for recovery. Flooding can be damaging and devastating but if you know the right services that are going to help you, you’ll be in the right company. Do the research in your local area today. 

(This is a contributed post, for more information about my compensation please read my disclosure policy)