How to Prevent Water Damage During Hurricane Season

Preparing ahead of time for the inevitable flood damage that often occurs during the hurricane season helps provide you with peace of mind knowing that you have done all that you possibly can to minimize the devastating effects caused by flooding. No one can completely flood-proof their home, but there are very effective steps that can be taken to help prevent the water damage flooding can cause. Being prepared before a flood occurs ensures that you have protection and access to items that can be used to prevent damage.

To help keep water from entering through doors and windows, there are specially designed flood boards that can easily be installed on most doors and windows when the threat of flood becomes eminent. Raising door thresholds is another method mainly used when water levels are expected to be low. Specially designed fitted covers that go over air bricks and ventilation blocks are also helpful.

Other possible points of entry for flood waters are through drains and pipes. Non-return valves are good solutions to help prevent waste water from flowing through pipes into the home during flooding. Floors are another common water entry point, and anyone living in areas prone to flooding would be wise to have cement, tile or granite flooring installed instead of traditional flooring such as wood floors, carpeting or laminate flooring.

Some other excellent preventative measures include installing electrical sockets, fuse boxes and wiring at a higher level in the home. This limits the possibility of them being damaged in the event of flooding. Mounting all televisions and stereo systems high on walls when possible is another good idea, keeping them from coming in contact with destructive standing water. Whenever possible, homeowners should avoid owning particle board furniture. In a flood prone area this type of furniture often receives heavy damage and most likely will be destroyed.

Items that are irreplaceable, such as treasured family photos are best displayed on shelves that are mounted high above the ground. It is also a good idea to keep CD’s, thumb drives or other storage mediums of treasured photos somewhere away from the property like in a bank safe deposit box so copies can be made.

Important documents should also be protected and there are excellent options available in waterproof storage containers to protect them. Some documents that are crucial to the functioning of a home or business must be kept safe from flood waters. Yet papers and documents are often overlooked when homeowners are preparing their home for possible flooding.

Good items to have readily available in the home are sand-less bags to be used in the event of emergency. They store flat, and when exposed to water for a few minutes they become 30 pound sandbag-equivalent bags that are utilized in the same way as regular sandbags to create protective dikes and to build flood barricades. Water damage is some of the most destructive damage that can occur in homes, but preventative steps can give homeowners peace of mind.