Flood prevention is key. Until it sinks in, all that tension and stress you carry around will continue to plague you. So take a deep breath, let it out slowly to decompress a little. And say it out loud so you hear these words: Flood. Prevention. Is. Key. Here is a link to the first article in this #HoustonStrong series, in case you missed it: Worry About Flooding..?. In this second article of the #HoustonStrong series, we are going to talk about various methods of flood prevention available.
Can you guess what the homeowners of these three properties have in common?
They determined to do anything to prevent flood damage. Some of you may be ready to pack up and move. We don’t blame you. But we’re here to show you that you might have more options than you think.
The best news we can offer you is hope. We want you to grasp hold of it and claim it for yourself, but that can’t happen until you have embraced the absolute necessity to prevent flood damage. Many Houstonians just accept flooding as a part of normal life in this great city of Texas. But it need not be that way. Let’s pull away from the mentality that “it is what it is,” and move into the realm of new possibilities.
What types of flood prevention are there?
We will not touch on all the possibilities out there. As you can see from the photos, the creative lengths that people will go to is probably endless. But we will mention the most common:
ELEVATING THE HOME
Most of you are likely familiar with the option of elevating a home since this is the only option FEMA talks about; the reason to be discussed in a later blog in the series. FEMA has an exhaustive chapter on the subject which is included in the link above.
The benefit to elevating a home is that it prevents most flooding. The zealous owner of the elevated home pictured above, will likely prevent ALL flooding, as he plans to raise his home a whopping 10 feet in the air, according to the news story! We pity the neighbors who have to look at that all day, which leads us to the downsides.
Aesthetics are significantly impacted with this method of flood prevention, as is the original function of the home. The structural integrity can also be affected by the elevation process, which has a trickle down affect on the rest of the home over time. The biggest downside is the cost. We will dive into this in more detail in a later blog post, but suffice to say, the price tag is quite hefty, and you will be responsible for the majority of it in most cases.
WET FLOODPROOFING
Wet floodproofing is another method of flood prevention, which contradictory to its name, is not actually designed to prevent flood damage, but rather to minimize damage caused by the flood. We see this most commonly in basement usage, but it was worth mentioning for your information. The design allows the flood waters to come into the home. Materials used on walls and floors are intended to be wiped clean after a flood.
While this is not our area of expertise, the upside would appear to be the ability to recover quickly and inexpensively from a flood event. The downside would be that you have to weather the storms as you do now. This method should cost less than elevating your home.
DRY FLOODPROOFING
This home was partially floodproofed in 2009, and has been completely FloodSafe since 2015
And finally we come to dry floodproofing, our expertise. FEMA’s information on this method of flood prevention is sorely outdated and inaccurate, so we are not including it here. Since we intend to delve into this method in great detail throughout this blog series, we will leave you with a few short notes.
The benefits of dry floodproofing are as follows:
- It costs significantly less than all other methods mentioned
- The aesthetics and normal function of the home remain the same as before, as our method is undetectable for the most part
- Best of all, it prevents flood damage.
Minor seepage may occur occasionally as the home continues to shift over time, but problem areas can easily be addressed and resolved as they appear.
Caution: Our method assumes integrity of the slab. If your slab is in poor condition, this method will not remedy water in the home as water will seep up through the ground. You should address any concerns you have about your slab before considering this as a solution to your flooding.
Next, we will cover what qualifies your home for dry floodproofing. We will also analyze your flood vulnerabilities and how we resolve them. Visit www.FloodSafeUSA.com to learn more about us, and follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn. Or call us with questions any time at 210-920-1872.