GW home floods

Is Your Home at Risk of Flooding?

There are many potential problems that you’ll need to think about when trying to keep your home safe. As a homeowner, you need to think about pests, structural stability, hydrostatic pressure, and more, and one of the most important things to consider is flooding. However, many homeowners don’t know much about flooding risk and how to prevent issues with flooding. Here’s what you need to know about flood risk and flooding management.

1. 90% of Natural Disasters in the United States Include Flooding

If you think flooding isn’t important, you’re wrong. A full 90% of natural disasters that occur in the United States include flooding of some kind. Hurricanes and general storms, of course, typically bring heavy rain in their wake, but even disasters like earthquakes and tornadoes can end up causing flooding, typically by causing problems with sewer systems and water pipes. If your home is at risk of a natural disaster, you need to think about how that might cause flooding.

2. 20% of Claims Come From Low to Moderate Risk Areas

Even if you’re in a risk area that claims you’re a “low to moderate” risk, that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re out of the woods entirely. 20% of home flooding claims come from homes that are in those low to moderate risk areas. “Low risk” doesn’t mean “zero risk,” and homes in low-risk areas are more likely to have absolutely no defenses when a flood does happen. By taking steps to avoid flooding in these areas, you’re protecting yourself.

3. Every State Has Flood Risk

You might think that because of where you live, you’re not really at any risk. However, do you know your true risk? Every single state has homes that are potentially at risk for flood – Nevada, the driest state in America statistically, has 31,772 homes within the 100-year flood zone. The states with the smallest number of homes are typically those with the lowest population, because homes all over the United States carry the potential for flood.

4. Floodproofing Is a Full Process

You can’t just build your home on stilts and expect that you’ve floodproofed it. The term “floodproofing” is one that needs to be carried out entirely. When you floodproof a home, it means you’ve prepared it for an onslaught of water that could last for many hours or even multiple days. It’s also important that you beef up your water removal system, like a sump pump with a backup. If you’re planning to keep your home safe from a flood, you need to go all the way, or it might not do much when the flood actually happens.

Conclusion

In every state, there are thousands of homes potentially at risk of flooding. Yours may be one of them. If you’re in the 100-year flood zone, that means within 100 years, you should expect at least one home flood. Adding floodproofing measures to your home will make it less likely to experience massive home damage when that flood comes.