Is Your Home Ready for a Storm?

1/7/2022 (Permalink)

Knowing How To Prepare Yourself and Your Home for Flood Water

Torrential rains in Affton, MO, can be stressful for homeowners. They can also cause water damage in a flooded building or home. Knowing how to prepare yourself and your home for flood water can help reduce stress after a big storm.

Before a Storm

Homeowners can prepare for a flood by taking time to consider these precautionary steps before a storm arrives:

• Research the flood risk in Affton, MO.
  
• Check into insurance options available in your area.
  
• Create an evacuation plan, including safe routes to shelter on higher ground away from flood water.
  
• Invest in a sump pump with a backup battery and take measures to waterproof the basement.
  
• Store valuables above ground level.
  
  

Keep important documents in a waterproof safe box. You should protect homeowner’s insurance documents, health insurance policies, and identification such as passports, birth records, and marriage certificates. Consider keeping important digital files along with current photographs of the contents of your home on a flash drive in the waterproof box as well. Keep the safe box in an accessible place in your home, and remember to take it in the event of an evacuation.

Pack a disaster bag. In addition to supplies such as a change of clothes and medications, be sure to include spare car keys, a radio, flashlights, and batteries. If you have family members with special needs, consider additional equipment required for their safety.

During a Storm

Protect your family and home during a storm by heeding all emergency warnings and communications. Moving water presents unseen dangers to pedestrians and drivers, and it may be deeper than it appears. Do not try to cross flooded roads or bridges.

After a Storm

Return home only if it is safe to do so. Cleaning flood water from your home is a task best managed by professionals, such as a local residential restoration service.

It is often best to be prepared well in advance of a storm. Take precautionary steps before the rainy season, and have the number of a professional cleanup crew on hand in case your home becomes a flooded building.