When severe weather blows through, heavy rains often bring the risk of serious flooding.
Are you and your home prepared to weather the next deluge?
We know how badly the devastation can impact property and belongings.
With more than 85 years of combined experience cleaning up flood damage, ServiceMaster by Zaba knows what you’re facing.
You can’t waterproof the house, but there are things you can do that will make a difference the next time it pours.
Read on for 15 practical ways to prevent flooding in your home.
Key Takeaways
- Landscaping plays an important role in preventing home flooding. Proper yard grade, flood-control structures and improved drainage can reduce the impact of a storm flood event.
- A home’s exterior condition is critical to keeping interiors safe from floodwaters. Routine maintenance is a must for roof components, gutters, downspouts, foundation walls and the home’s sewer line.
- The type and location of gardens around the house can also help control flood runoff. Replacing impervious concrete cover with permeable materials is another strategy for reducing residential flooding.
- Inside the home, roll-out flood barriers can keep water outside from seeping under doors. Basement walls, floors, stairwells and window wells need to be waterproofed.
- Risk assessment and purchasing flood insurance are important to pre-flood planning. Emergency flood response includes shutting down utilities and following the directions given by local authorities.
15 Smart Flood Prevention Tips for Homeowners
1. Figure Out Your Grade
There are several ways to improve drainage around the house, but you need to know the lay of your land before you get started.
The next time it rains, grab an umbrella. Head outside, and track the direction of water flowing through your yard.
If storms leave puddles in the lawn and washouts around the foundation, address slope grading to redirect runoff away from your home and towards storm drains.
2. Keep an Eye on the Neighbors
A new structure on the property next to yours can divert heavy rains and soak different parts of your yard.
Patios, driveway extensions, and storage sheds all create impermeable areas that contribute to flooding.
If your neighbor plans on building something, talk with him about drainage solutions that can save you both the expense of flooded property and water damage.
3. Put Up a Wall
A retaining wall is usually constructed to stop erosion, but it can also effectively prevent flooding in your home.
The hardscaping serves double duty as a flood-control structure and an attractive addition to the landscape.
Bonus Tip: Often, a wall can span and protect several properties. This could be a starting point for working out shared drainage issues with the neighbors.
4. Dig a French Drain
This type of drainage system also requires some digging, but its design makes it very effective for handling heavy rainfall.
A trench is usually dug around your home’s foundation, and then the trough is lined with gravel to form a bed for perforated pipe.
Once it’s buried, the French drain system channels storm runoff away from the house.
5. Stay on Top of the Roof
A heavy downpour can turn a few loose shingles into a disaster. Don’t risk your home flooding from the top down.
Inspect the roof several times a year, and always check it for wind damage after stormy weather. If you’re facing a replacement, consider investing in a rubber roof underlayment.
The inexpensive material puts down a waterproof barrier under shingles and extends roof life.
Bonus Tip: Even if the roof looks good after a storm, confirm its condition with an attic inspection. If you find leaks in the attic ceiling, double-check shingles, flashing and underlayment.
6. Do Your Gutter Duty
They can’t do their job if you don’t keep them clean. Leaves and debris that accumulate in gutters eventually work into downspouts and cause even more clogging.
When your roof’s drainage system fills up with stormwater, the weight strains gutter seams and attachments.
Make gutter duty a routine, and be sure that downspouts direct heavy rainfall away from the foundation with extensions or splash blocks.
7. Fortify Your Foundation
Surging floodwaters can turn small foundation cracks into fractures that threaten your home’s structural integrity.
Always repair exterior and interior cracks as soon as possible with a polyurethane foam or epoxy compound.
Make foundation inspection a part of your flood-prevention routine around the house, and spare yourself the headache of cleaning up a soaked basement.
Bonus Tip: If you’re dealing with cracks wider than half an inch or any bulging areas in the concrete, let a foundation professional take care of repairs.
8. Secure the Sewer Line
Category 3 water is always a serious concern during a flood. If torrential rain backs up your home’s sewer line, it becomes a dangerous hazard that ruins interiors and belongings.
Reduce the risk of black water contaminating your home by installing a backwater valve on the sewer line. This secures the line so that sewage backups flow away from your home.
9. Plant Landscape Protection
Every part of the country is graced with native trees and shrubs that slow down the impact of sudden downpours. Upgrading your landscape with native plants can reduce the effects of storm flooding.
Bonus Tip: This green approach to flood prevention is a good strategy for naturally reducing erosion, and it’s good for the environment too.
10. Pull Up the Pavement
Pavement outside your home increases the risk of stormwater flooding the house.
Heavy rains can turn concrete patios, driveways, and walkways into watersheds. The runoff saturates the yard and pools around the foundation.
Think about replacing impervious ground cover with permeable materials that preserve traditional outdoor areas and comfort zones.
Options range from brick patios and flagstone sidewalks to flood-resistant gravel driveways.
11. Go Low With a Rain Garden
If you’re trying to deal with an expanse of low ground in the yard, turn it into a permanent part of your preventative planning. Fill it with plants that thrive in wet soil.
A rain garden catches heavy runoff from higher ground in the yard and brings natural beauty to areas that might otherwise be stagnant ponds.
Bonus Tip: Rain gardens help reduce pollutants carried in natural runoff, and they’re favorite habitats for songbirds and butterflies.
Flood Prevention Tips for Inside the House
12. Be Ready With Interior Barriers
Sandbags have been used as flood barriers for centuries.
They’re inexpensive, highly effective, and low-tech. They’re also labor-intensive, but you don’t have to fill and haul your own anymore.
Many home improvement centers offer interior flood barriers. These long roll-out bags are filled with materials that quickly expand, creating an effective bulwark around doors and windows.
When the floods recede, the barriers dry quickly and fold up for easy storage.
13. Vent the Basement and Crawl Spaces
Spare your home’s structure from the enormous hydrostatic pressure of surging stormwater with flood vents.
Also called flood ports, these openings allow water to enter the basement and then exit as flood levels recede.
While vents don’t technically protect the house from flooding, they greatly reduce the possibility of collapsing walls.
14. Protect Your Property with a Pump
A sump pump in the basement is one of your best defenses against home flooding.
This tough appliance comes in a variety of models, but battery-powered pumps definitely have an advantage if you lose electricity.
Here’s a link to a great article (if we may say so) that provides more information
15. Waterproof the Basement
Floodwater can seep through your foundation and into the basement, so make sure walls and floors are sealed tight. Waterproof the downstairs by sealing cracks with masonry caulk or hydraulic cement.
If your basement has an exterior entrance or windows, include them in your flood-proofing plans.
Keep the stairwell drain clog-free and the door subsill in good shape. Secure basement windows with acrylic well covers.
Proactive Planning for Home Flood Emergencies
It’s important to protect your home from flooding. Proactive planning helps broaden your coverage. Restoration pro Diana Rodriguez-Zaba recommends these strategies for pre-storm planning.
- Understand Your Flood Risk – If you’re not sure about the risk of flooding in your area, do a little research. Online resources include FEMA flood maps that can help you evaluate the danger to your home.
- Invest in Flood Insurance – Many homeowners don’t realize that their property insurance doesn’t cover flooding. You must purchase flood insurance separately, so talk to your insurance agent about the details. If you’d like to know what to ask him or her, take a look here.
- Tune In to the Forecast – Meteorologists use the latest technologies to follow weather patterns in real time. That gives everyone the advantage of knowing what to expect and when. Use the information to fine-tune your flood emergency planning.
- Keep Important Numbers Close – Make sure you can quickly reach your insurance company after a storm. Keep your agent’s number on your contact list along with the number of a certified water damage restoration business like ServiceMaster by Zaba.
- Keep Emergency Supplies Ready – If you or family members rely on any medication, include backups in a first aid kit. You’ll also want to have quick access to enough food and bottled water to last for several days.
Be Ready When the Storm Hits
If you know floodwaters are headed your way, take the following steps immediately.
- Let family and friends know what’s happening and how you plan on responding.
- If possible, elevate furniture and personal belongings off the floor or to a second story.
- Shut down your home’s electricity, gas, and water supply, and unplug appliances and electronics.
- Don’t leave the house without your first aid kit and emergency food and water supply.
- Follow local authorities’ directions on when and how to evacuate.
Protect Your Home From Flooding
It’s always our goal to share useful information that we know can help you around the house.
Our 15 tips are based on our experiences in the field assisting homeowners with flood cleanup. For years, ServiceMaster by Zaba has been the preferred choice for flood damage cleanup in Chicago and the suburbs.
We’re very proud to serve this great city and its surrounding areas, and we’re here for you 24/7.
When you need emergency flood cleanup and restoration, we’re ready for your call: (773) 647-1985.
FAQs
How much does flood insurance cost?
Several factors determine the cost of flood insurance, including your location and the size of your home. Typically, a policy from the National Flood Insurance Program costs $890 annually.
How do you clean a house after a flood?
DIY cleanup after a flood is a very big job. It involves removing contaminated materials from your home, scrubbing and disinfecting surfaces and tearing out ruined structures. It’s best to leave flood mitigation and remediation to restoration professionals like ServiceMaster by Zaba.
Why is floodwater cleanup considered hazardous?
Flooding from natural events, such as heavy storms, leaves behind Category 3 water damage. The results are interiors and contents soaked with water that’s contaminated with dangerous pathogens and chemicals.
