Ready the Barricade and Secure the Adirondack: How to Prepare Your Home for a Flood

9/27/2021 (Permalink)

Being attentive to official warnings, protecting your belongings, and safeguarding your interests ensures that you are in the best possible position.

Despite popular belief, flooding does not always occur rapidly. Sure, flash floods happen, and you aren’t given months of advanced warning, but those who live in flood zones understand the potential risks and when they are most vulnerable, especially during the rainy season. The question most asked by those new to flood zone areas is how do you prepare and stay safe? While there are many answers to that question, one of the best is the three-pronged approach provided by FEMA.

1. Prepare To Evacuate

The first step in preparation is to make sure that you protect yourself. Pay attention to the public warnings and alert systems, and don’t think that you know better, just listen. Evacuate when you’re told to evacuate. If you don’t leave, you risk being trapped in floodwaters without the luxury of emergency services.

2. Protect Your Belongings

Before you evacuate, and before any significant flooding begins, you would be wise to secure and protect any of your valuable belongings. Protecting items is simple and can be done by elevating any critical mechanics and technology, waterproofing any personal items like photographs by putting them in sealed plastic bags, and clearing away or tying down any exterior furniture that may cause damage to your home during the flood.

3. Protect Your Interests

Beyond the short-term objectives of evacuating yourself and securing your belongings, if you live in a flood zone, you should have flood insurance to protect your home from flood damage over the long term. While not a typical element in most insurance plans, flood insurance can be beneficial and is often a requirement in high-risk flood zones.

While there are undoubtedly restoration specialists in the Norman, OK, area, it is ideal to limit any potential storm damage from flooding by taking the above precautions. Being attentive to official warnings, protecting your belongings, and safeguarding your interests ensures that you are in the best possible position when the storm comes, literally and figuratively.