How Homeowners Can Prevent Flooding This Winter

Posted on 12 November, 2021

If you’ve been reading up on reports of heavy downpours or natural disasters in your area and are concerned about seasonal floods, you may have been wondering, What can homeowners do to prevent flooding? Although you might not be able to prevent all flooding, especially if you live in a particularly high-risk zone, protecting against seasonal floods by taking a few preventative measures may be more straightforward than you realize. From assessing your home’s realistic risk level to securing Dayville Home Insurance to help mitigate damages and more, there are some steps that can help you deal with the possibility of experiencing home flooding this winter.

Research Your Home’s Realistic Level of Flooding Risk

The first step to preventing wintertime flooding is determining how much your home could realistically flood so you know what to prepare for. You can do this by researching your home’s flood risk score as well as historical patterns for your area. In general, there are at least four different risk levels for flooding. These include:

Regular floodways or known flood plains
Areas of uncertain or undetermined flood risk
Areas with a high-risk flooding designation
Areas with lower risk that may still experience occasional flooding or water leaks

Take Several Preventative Steps To Help Flood-Proof Your House

Once you understand the level of risk your house likely faces, there are a number of preventative steps that can help you mitigate risk. You may not be able to entirely flood-proof your home, but you can help by taking these measures early. Make sure you:

Raise important items such as your dryer, your washer, your AC unit, your water heater and any generators above your home’s estimated flood level
Shift any outdoor mulch away from your siding to prevent the possibility of rot and mold
Hire contractors to tilt your lawn slightly away from your home
Install a sump pump with a battery
Consider raising your home up onto piers or stilts if you’re in a high-risk area

Draft Your Family’s Emergency Plan To Minimize Flooding Damage

Finally, it’s important for your home to have an emergency plan in place so you can leap into action should flooding occur. You can help minimize damage if you plan to:

Turn your electricity off
Clean out any clogged drains or gutters that may be preventing proper drainage
Set up sandbags in gaps that could lead to worse damage
Open your windows to air out your home
Take photos or videos of any flooding when possible for insurance purposes
Remove any sentimental objects from risky areas if you haven’t already and move them to safety

If you’ve found yourself moving prized belongings from the basement and researching Dayville Home Insurance lately, there’s a chance you may be concerned about your home experiencing some flooding this winter season. You can help mitigate damage and prepare as best as possible by taking some core preventative measures.

About Byrnes Agency

At Byrnes Agency, we offer insurance solutions that can be tailored to meet your specific needs. Whether you’re looking for personal policies or commercial coverage, we have the right coverage for you. To learn more about our products, contact us today at one of our two locations.

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Dayville Office

Phone: (860) 774-8549

394 Lake Rd

Dayville, CT 06241

United States

info@byrnesagency.com

Hours of Operation: Monday- Friday 9:00am-5:00pm

Norwich Office

Phone: (860) 886-5498

6 Consumers Avenue

Norwich, CT 06360