How to avoid and deal with storm damage?

If you know bad weather is coming there are several precautions you can take to avoid storm damage to your home. This can be particularly important if you know you live on a flood plain, or a dry riverbed.If you’re not sure, you should check.

 Do you live in a flood-prone area?

There are entire city streets whose inhabitants don’t even know that their homes were guilt in dry riverbeds, with water being redirected to storm drains under the streets when it rains heavily. These storm drains can get clogged by debris, especially if proper attention was not given to maintenance by the local authorities. In that case, when the storm hits, water will resume running in it’s old course – through homes and streets.

Therefore, it’s a good idea to know the layout of the area you live in, ask neighbors, or check nationla flood maps to see if you live in a flood prone area. This will help you assess the risk of flooding when rainstorms hit, and the degree of precautions you should take. Storm damage due to flooding can cause a huge disruption to your life and home, bordering on trauma. But there are several simple measures you can take if you know there is a high chance of flooding.

 What you should do when flooding is imminent

Unplug all electrical items and move them to a high place – preferably the second floor if you have one. Even heavy items like refrigerators can ne raised on bricks to reduce the chance of storm damage. Do the same with all your valuables, important paperwork, and anything else that is dear to you. When heavy weather hits, you should also turn off your main electricity and gas supply.

Sandbagging is arudimentary yet effective measure to reduce storm damage, when applied to doorways and other points where water can enter yout house. It’s not even necesarry to use sandbags, even a hefty bag or pillow case filled with earth will do, or some kind of heavy object.

 After the flood

After a flood hits, remember the most important thing is to keep yourself and your family safe – this takes priority over removing water and debris and repairing damages, which should preferably be left to storm damage service professionals.

Flood water can be contaminated, especially if it got mixed with untreated sewage, so take care not to touch it or go into it. It can also compromise the structural integrity of your home, especially water that was fast flowing or more that 3 ft. deep. Check your building for signs of damage before entering and be careful when entering the house and moving around.