How to Prevent Flooding

By theadmin

Texas weather is infamously unpredictable, so it’s critical you learn how to prevent flooding and reinforce your home before disaster strikes. Learn the importance of maintaining your roof, doors, windows, siding, foundation, and gutters. Consider taking extra precautions by installing drainage systems, retaining walls, and strategic landscaping. Finally, learn how to prepare for worst case flooding scenarios to keep yourself safe and mitigate damage to your property.

Maintenance Measures

Roof: Maintaining the integrity of your roof is essential in water damage prevention for your home. Roofs should be inspected seasonally, checking for and replacing any damaged or missing shingles.

Windows and Doors: Properly installed and insulated high-quality doors and windows are essential in keeping water outside your house. Ensuring the threshold of your door is above ground level will also decrease the likelihood of flooding.

Siding: Fixing damaged or warped panels and keeping exterior paint up to date will prevent water from seeping into walls and causing water damage and mold growth.

Foundation: Avoid planting trees or shrubbery with roots too close to the foundation. Keep the soil around your foundation moist, because when it dries, it shrinks. The soil will then rapidly expand once heavy rains come, exerting a large amount of pressure on your foundation wall, which can cause damage and flooding.

Gutters and Downspouts: Clean gutters and downspouts seasonally and ensure they are structurally sound, with the downspouts extending 2 to 3 feet from your home to direct water runoff away from the structure.

Installation Considerations

Drainage System: There are two options to protect homes in locations vulnerable to flooding. A sump pump redirects water away from the home. However, this requires maintenance and a reliable power source. If you lose power during a particularly harsh rainstorm, you may risk retaining water, but battery backup sump pumps or generators can prevent such a situation. Another more permanent or extensive solution is a French drainage system — a series of pipes built under or around the foundation to redirect water away from the structure.

Retaining Wall: Installing a properly augured retaining wall will hold back water and redirect it away from your foundation. Ensure any yard renovations slope away from your house so water will naturally flow away from your foundation and prevent flooding.

Backwater Valve: Installing a backwater valve is a great way to protect your home from water damage. Backwater valves prevent sewage and stormwater from backing up and flooding your home during heavy rainfall and floods.

Utilities: Strategically placed utilities can save you from needing to replace them even if you have some flooding in your home. Placing utilities at a higher elevation point in your house and keeping them off the floor will keep water from damaging them during a weather event.

Landscaping

Consider putting in a rain garden if water pools in your yard during heavy rainfall. This strategically placed and sustainable garden with lots of native plants and drainage stones encourages water to drain more slowly into the ground over an extended period. Preventing erosion is critical in protecting against water damage as it reduces the ability of the soil to retain water. Protect your soil and prevent erosion with ground cover, mulch, or drainage stones.

Have a Plan

Even with all the best preparations, sometimes floods occur. Know your flood risk and stay up to date on the latest weather events with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). In case of a flood, create a plan for your family and pets, have basic supplies easily accessible, and keep essential documents in a waterproof container on the second floor or higher elevation. Consider buying sandbags or a floodgate to place in front of doors and windows as a last measure of protection for your house in an emergency.

It’s always a good idea to get flood insurance to help cover any sustained damages.