Paul Dreher Director of Personal Insurance View Bio

The primary reason your basement and home can flood during a rainstorm is due to poor or blocked
drainage. To protect your home and its belongings from flooding due to surface water or from water
seeping into unwanted places, use the following precautionary measures.

  • Make sure that the ground area within 10 feet of your home slopes away from your home’s foundation.
  • Extend downspouts at least 10 feet from your home.
  • Direct water flow from downspouts away from your home, being careful not to discharge the water too close to adjacent property.
  • Utilize preventative landscaping to help reduce the chance of a mudslide or flooding. This might include leveling out any slopes in your yard, placing mulch in the garden to better soak up rainwater, selecting local plants that help prevent flooding and installing drainage areas near your driveway.
  • Clean the gutters and the drainage downspouts attached to your roof at least twice a year.
  • Have your roof carefully inspected at least once a year by a competent, qualified individual.
  • Conduct maintenance and make repairs as needed.
  • If your house or commercial lot is at risk of flooding from a higher neighboring property, consider building a solid wall masonry fence on the water-vulnerable boundaries of your property.
  • Be vigilant for warning signs of an impending flood problem.

Be Prepared
If flooding occurs, be familiar with how to shut off electricity, gas and water at main switches and valves within your home. Knowing how to do this ahead of time will help you to react quickly and minimize potential flood damages.

In addition, be sure to secure adequate insurance coverage to ensure financial protection in the event that a flood damages your home. However, keep in mind that most homeowners insurance policies exclude flood-related losses. That being said, contact your insurance agent to discuss additional, specialized coverage for flood-related damages. For more personal risk management guidance and homeowners insurance solutions, contact us today.

This for informational purposes only and is not intended as professional advice. © 2008, 2013, 2016, 2021 Zywave, Inc. All rights reserved.