As we are being faced with terrible storms at the moment, and with more on the way, we thought it might be a good time to talk about how you can keep your home protected against floods. With the weather being so bad, lots of places have been faced with terrible flooding which as a result can cause severe damage to homes. In order to try and prevent this, or at least minimise the risk of damage, there needs to be flood protection and mitigation procedures put in place. Flood mitigation will help to reduce the severity of it so that minimal harm or damage is caused.
We thought that whilst we are in the midst of these terrible storms we would give you some tips and advice on how to keep your home protected and safe against flooding…
Create barriers
If you feel your home is at risk of flooding, we recommend creating barriers. These should be placed in front of places like doorways, where water can easily get into your house. As a result, these barriers will create flood mitigation, which essentially sends the water in another direction away from your property. Anything that you can put in place to block the flooding from getting into your house and causing damage will make a big difference.
Move any cars or vehicles to higher ground
When flooding becomes bad, this can be very dangerous for vehicles parked on the road, as the water can carry them away. This is dangerous to both the vehicle itself and everything surrounding it, as it can cause a lot of damage. Therefore, if you know a flood is likely, we strongly advise moving any vehicles to higher ground where they will not be affected by the flooding.
UPVc window and door frames
Although not an instant fix if you are in a scenario where flood threat is imminent, UPVc window and door frames are a great fix long term. They are so much more efficient in keeping your home safe against flooding than wooden frames, for example. UPVc is such a durable and high quality material that it is a great upgrade to make for your home in order to provide the best chance in keeping the property safe against flooding in the future.
Move valuable and easily damaged items
If your home is at an immediate risk of flooding, the best thing you can do to care for your belongings is to move anything valuable or that can be easily damaged, higher up in the building. This might mean moving everything upstairs in order to keep them safe and minimise the risk of anything getting broken or damaged.
Cover ventilation bricks
Similarly to creating barriers and guards for your doors, you can also get covers for ventilation bricks, which stops any water from being able to seep through them. We would recommend this as a quick fix as it’s a good way to protect your home when flooding is imminent.
Raise all electricals
Again, this isn’t always necessarily possible to do straight away when a flood is incoming, but we would always advise keeping all electrical equipment, such as fuse boxes, TV’s, wiring and sockets, a good distance above floor level. This means that in the event of a flood, your electricals should be safe and out of reach, therefore preventing severe potential damage.
Seek professional help at the first sign of flooding
As soon as you encounter any flooding in your home, you should seek help from a professional to get this sorted and reduce the impact of it as quickly and safely as possible. Here at KJ East, we are fully equipped with the right tools, knowledge and procedures to get the flooding under control quickly and save your home from further damage or risks.
For more information or if you would like to speak to us in regards to our flood protection and mitigation services, please get in touch with us via our contact page and we will be more than happy to help.
