10 Ways to Minimize Flood Damage in Your Home

Table of Content

10 Ways to Prevent and Minimize Flood Damage in Your Home

Inspect your Property

Make Repairs Where Observed

Landscape Your Yard

Maintain Your Gutters

Check Your Windows

Keep Belongings Off the Ground

Keep Your Pipes Clear

Install Sensors

Keep Sandbags Close

Keep Your Floor Drains Clear

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is considered flood damage for insurance?

Can you claim on house insurance for flood damage?

Do insurance companies pay for flood damage?

What does flood insurance cover?

What is not covered by flood insurance?

What is considered flood damage in a home?

What to do if your house is flooding?

How much does flood insurance payout?

How much does flooding insurance cost?

What happens if your house floods without flood insurance?

What is the difference between water damage and flood damage?

Does flood cover mold?

What is the average monthly cost of flood insurance?

How to prevent flooding from rain?

How to prevent flood?

How to prevent basement flooding?

How to prevent mold and mildew after a flood?

What can be done to prevent future floods?

What prevents flooding?

Does homeowners insurance cover flood damage?

How can flood damage be reduced?

Think you’re safe because you haven’t seen any flooding in your neighborhood? We hate to break it to you, but FEMA reported that 99% of counties in the US were impacted by flooding over ten years between 1996 and 2019. If you’re relieved because you have homeowners insurance, you may have to consult with your provider to see if flood-damaged is covered in your policy – in many cases, it isn’t! This article will walk you through the best flood preventions, ways to minimize damage and tell you what may or may not be covered.

10 Ways to Prevent and Minimize Flood Damage in Your Home

Inspect your Property

Check to make sure your lot is graded adequately with water draining away from the home. You may need to bring in dirt, sod or sand to improve the grading or install drainage where any water accumulates. The goal is to ensure water is draining away from basement walls.

Make Repairs Where Observed

A big part of flood prevention lies within the maintenance of your property. Check your deck, sidewalk and patio. If you notice any shifts, check for opportunities for water to pool close to the home, as that’s what you’ll want to avoid.

Landscape Your Yard

Gardens and plants will minimize soil erosion which is a helpful hint for reducing flood damage.

Maintain Your Gutters

This is especially important in the Fall and Winter to clear the eavestroughs and gutters of debris, leaves or ice.

Check Your Windows

Check your basement and other windows for cracks that may result in a flooding disaster. If necessary, consider a window well cover, so it doesn’t accumulate in that space for the basement.

Keep Belongings Off the Ground

If you have expensive electronics in the basement or essential documents, consider installing shelving that will save them from pooling water in the event of a heavy rainfall that leads to flooding.

Keep Your Pipes Clear

Whatever you do, avoid pouring any bacon grease, fats or oils down the drain. This can be detrimental when flooding occurs as the pipes work overtime to deal with the excess water. Ensure all your drains are clog-free!

Install Sensors

There are a plethora of options for flood detection systems and alarms to alert you when water leaks into your home. Higher-end models can even put a stop to the water system and alert you before it becomes a bigger problem.

Keep Sandbags Close

Sandbags are used to direct the flow of water and prevent it from entering your doorways. Keep these handy for any emergencies.

Keep Your Floor Drains Clear

Ensure that you haven’t accidentally placed furniture over a key floor drain and that it is clear of any obstructions.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is considered flood damage for insurance?

Flooding insurance coverage can be easily confused as to what qualifies as a flood. For example, a sudden burst pipe from an insurance perspective may not be covered under flood damage criteria but can be considered water damage. Typically, a flood happens when a large amount of water flows over dry land and enters your home through cracks, doors and windows. Keep in mind maintenance plays a big part in your coverage! For homeowners insurance with flood coverage, these are the most common causes that will qualify:

• Natural dam failure
• Snow-melt runoff
• Tidal flooding
• Storm rainfall

Can you claim on house insurance for flood damage?

If you’re wondering if the flood insurance cover will be applicable to your home, it’s time to call your insurance agent. Depending on which company you’re with, you may have to purchase this insurance separately or as an add-on feature. If you have homeowner flood insurance, you can be covered for any damage caused by a flood up to your policy limit, including mold. However, insurance adjusters will ask questions regarding your maintenance history to ensure you keep up with repairs and a regular maintenance schedule.

Do insurance companies pay for flood damage?

If you notice water flooding in house, you need to know if your insurance company will pay for any flood damages that may occur. After an investigation is completed, insurance companies will pay this out to homeowners that included flood and rain coverage in their policy. It’s always the best course of action to calculate the payout for flood damage and if it will adequately cover the repairs and any belongings that may be damaged due to home flooding.

What does flood insurance cover?

Solutions to flooding include preventative measures more than reactive ones. However, when circumstances are beyond your control, you need to know what flood insurance covers. When it comes to flooding, ask your insurance agent if you have both building and contents coverage. Otherwise, you may suffer a loss for belongings that were stored in affected areas. It’s always best to ask your insurance agent for the details of your specific flood insurance policy, but in a typical sense, this is what is covered:

Building Coverage

• Furnaces, electrical, plumbing systems and water heaters
• Refrigerators, stoves and other built-in appliances
• Permanently installed cabinetry, bookcases, window blinds, or carpeting
• Foundation walls, staircases and any anchorage systems
• Detached garages on the property
• Any solar energy systems, well water tanks and pumps, or fuel tanks

Contents Coverage

• Curtains and carpets that aren’t permanent (i.e. rugs or installed over wood floors)
• Personal belongings (i.e. furniture, clothing and electronics)
• Microwaves, portable and window air conditions
• Valuable items such as artwork (most policies have a conservative limit)

What is not covered by flood insurance?

Flood prevention plays a significant role in your insurance coverage. Simply put, damage caused by a flood is considered an excess of water on land that is normally dry and affects two or more properties. If your basement is flooding because a sewer backup occurred, this is not, by definition, flooding, and you may not be covered. Other floods preventions care is considered when an insurance agent is investigating the cause of the flood and if the losses you are reporting are solely due to the damage of flood. For example, if you failed to seal off a crack that could have easily been preventing flood and the water seeped into the basement bathroom, this could be seen as a maintenance issue rather than directly caused by the flood. If it was sealed correctly, the insurance agent will argue that you could have prevent flood damage from occurring.

What is considered flood damage in a home?

Flood damage in a home occurs when water flows over what is typically dry land and either causes loss to the integrity of the building or the contents inside. There are three main types of flood damage sources that are considered to happen in a home:

1. River (Fluvial) Flood

This is when dry land can be covered by either wastewater or freshwater poured over the usual confines of a lake, stream, or river.

1. Urban (Pluvial) Flood

This occurs when surface and underground infrastructure have been unsuccessful when draining freshwater or wastewater, typically bred from the spring snow-melt, stormwater runoff or heavy rain.

1. Coastal (Storm Surge) Flood

When seawater is affected by high winds, waves and tides, you may see a tsunami effect along the coast of oceans.

This can be easily avoided with floods prevention methods which are thoroughly discussed earlier in this article.

What to do if your house is flooding?

If your house is flooding, it’s not too late to implement some quick flood control methods that will minimize more damage from occurring. Depending on the severity and imminent danger, if able, you should stop the water at the source. From there, turn off the electricity to the house. Keep in mind that if you have to step in the water, it’s best to move to the third and final step, evacuating.

Once the flooding stops, you’ll want to contact your insurer (or landlord if you’re a tenant), document everything and clean up as much as you can to help with your flood damage insurance claim list as well as curve the start of any mold.

How much does flood insurance payout?

According to Forbes, the national average payout on a claim as reported by the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) was $52,000 in 2019. Keep in mind that home flood prevention plays a role in your claim. You’ll need to be aware of your policy limits, deductible and flood coverage criteria to know if you’ll get the payout you’ll need to be financially secure when resolving the damages.

How much does flooding insurance cost?

According to FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the average annual cost of flooding insurance was $700 per year.

What happens if your house floods without flood insurance?

Flooding preventions should always be part of your yearly maintenance plan, but sometimes circumstances are beyond our control. If you failed to make the proactive choice of purchasing flood insurance, you might be wondering what happens if your house floods without insurance.

In the US, FEMA provides grants and loans to help repair the flood damage and other expenses. However, you will need to be eligible to receive assistance from their program. Some of the requirements outlined include:

• You must live in a federally recognized disaster area that has specific geographic boundaries that are predetermined.
• The home is inaccessible or inhabitable due to the flooding.
• It is your primary residence where you live for the majority of the year.
• You have expenses and needs that are not covered by insurance or another source.
• You or someone in your household is a U.S. citizen, non-citizen national or qualified resident.

What is the difference between water damage and flood damage?

Flood damage and water damage can be differentiated in several ways. In general, a flood is what affects either two or more acres or two or more properties because water has overflowed onto dry land. If two or more neighbors are affected by heavy rainfall, this can be considered a flood insurance claim. However, if your home is the only one affected, you may have to file as water damage, and your maintenance schedule for the home may come into question.

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Does flood cover mold?

When it comes to preventing floods, you also want to prevent the damage it causes from the built-up moisture, like mold. As long as you can prove that the mold is directly related to the flood as the cause, your insurance will cover it. However, if mildew or moisture build-up has occurred over time that could have been avoided, your claim will not payout the mold removal and repair.

What is the average monthly cost of flood insurance?

The average monthly cost of flood insurance varies by state and not only by minuscule numbers. You can see up to a $920 annual premium difference. For example, your premium would be $1,512 per year in Vermont, breaking down your monthly payments to $126. In Florida, your annual rate is at the lowest national average of $592 per year, equating to $49 per month. That’s a $77 monthly difference!

How to prevent flooding from rain?

During heavy rain, you’ll want to act fast on preventing flooding from starting so you don’t have to deal with the hassle of insurance claim payouts and a long list of inconveniences. Here are six things you can do to start your flood provention process from rain.

1. Clear any storm drains
2. Clean downspouts and gutters
3. Test your sump pump
4. Install a backflow prevention device if your area is prone to heavy rain
5. Use sandbags to direct the flow of water away from the house
6. Ensure your drains are clear of any clogs

How to prevent flood?

There are several ways homeowners can be proactive to prevent floods from damaging their homes. Researching proven methods and techniques, here are five ways to prevent flooding in cities and farmland:

1. Check your property yearly for shifts in the deck, driveway or patio that may allow water to pool close to the home.
2. Check your downspout and ensure it is pointing at least 3-6 feet away from your home.
3. Invest in water leak sensors, so you’re alerted of any possible issues in the home.
4. Seal cracks sound windows, floors and basement foundations.
5. Keep your floor drain clear from any objects and obstructions.

How to prevent basement flooding?

How can floods be prevented in the basement, you may ask? Following our extensive list of floods solutions in this article is a place to start. In general, you’ll want to ensure the basement foundation is sealed, any cracks in the floors or walls are maintained and that you have an operational sump pump.

How to prevent mold and mildew after a flood?

One of the more critical water damage insurance claim tips comes from the quick clean-up response. If mold and mildew begin to occur after the documented flood, an insurance adjuster may begin to question your prevention methods and thorough clean-up. You’ll want to take before and after photos of your clean-up process and document as much of your mold prevention methods as you can.

What can be done to prevent future floods?

To prevent future floods, follow the 10 ways to prevent flooding discussed in our article.

What prevents flooding?

There are many ways to prevent floods from occurring on your property, including both exterior and interior maintenance and professional advice from a plumber. The number one flood prevention method is ensuring that water will not pool around your foundation or home in the event of heavy rainfall or flood.

Does homeowners insurance cover flood damage?

As long as you follow flood prevention methods and have not acted carelessly in the event of a flood, as long as your policy for homeowners insurance includes that feature, you will be covered for any flood damage. Policies often vary, and you may be confusing water damage with flood damage. Speak with your insurance advisor to find out precisely what you’re covered for.

How can flood damage be reduced?

Flood damage can be reduced by following the flood preventions guidelines, turning off access to electricity in the event of a flood and shutting off the water.

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