Before The Floodwaters Rise, Use These 11 Tips To Prepare The Outside Of Your Home.

7/14/2021 (Permalink)

While you can't prevent flooding, there are several things you can do to prepare the outside of your home in advance to minimize the damage.

Before The Floodwaters Rise, Use These 11 Tips To Prepare The Outside Of Your Home. 

So you bought a house in Greenville. Congratulations! You worked hard to move in and make your home your sanctuary. Owning a home is one of the most significant investments you will make in your lifetime. Why risk damaging or losing your home when bad weather strikes? 

Flooding is the most common and expensive natural disaster in the United States and can happen anywhere at any time. One inch of water can cause significant damage to your home, which will rack up costly repairs. While you can't prevent flooding, there are several things you can do to prepare the outside of your home in advance to minimize the damage. Below are a few tips you can use to prepare your home for bad weather. 

 First, you need to determine the Base Flood Elevation (BFE) for your home. The BFE is the computed elevation to which the floodwaters are anticipated to rise. You need to know your home's BFE because it is used for flood plan management regulations in your community. Contact your local flood plan manager to you find your BFE. 

1. Water needs to drain away from your home. If you notice water pooling around your foundation or basement walls, consider improving the grading of your yard. 
2. Adding water-resistant exterior sheathing on walls and sealing them will prevent shallow flooding from damaging your home. 
3. If you see water pooling on damaged sidewalks, patios decks, or driveways, make repairs to prevent water from pooling too close to your home. 
4. Pick plants and vegetation that will minimize soil erosion when you are landscaping your yard and gardens. 
5. Secure your yard items before a flood or storm. Unsecure yard items can become hazardous during a flood or storm. They can be swept away or damaged by floodwaters, or they can also be swept into your home and cause more damage. Secure your yard items by anchoring them, attaching them to sturdier structures, or storing them indoors until the bad weather has subsided. 
6. If you have window wells, consider investing in window well covers so that water and does not accumulate in your window wells.
7.  Your downspouts need to extend three to six feet and drain away from your home.  
8. Use a rain barrel to catch rain runoff.
9. Regularly clean and maintain your gutters and eavestroughs. Remove any leaves, twigs, and other blockages in your gutters or eavestroughs, so rainwater does not pool in your gutters or overflow onto your roof.  
10. Keep storm drains near your home clear of leaves, twigs, and other debris. 
11.  If your roof is missing shingles or shingles are deteriorating, repair or replace your roof. 

Remember, some of these tips may work better together than others. Not all of these options will work together; you should always consult with a professional such as your insurance agent, an architect, an engineer, a contractor, or other experts in construction before making any modifications to your home. 

If your home floods-don't panic! Call SERVPRO Of South Greenville County. Our highly trained crews and state-of-the-art technology will make it "Like it never even happened." We will restore your home to preloss condition in no time. Give us a call at (864) 292 - 3137. We are available 24/7, 365 days a year.