Flooding is a very damaging and upsetting event that sadly affects thousands of homes every year. The damage can take years and a huge amount of money to rectify; in addition, some precious family possessions, such as photographs, can never be replaced.
According to the Environment Agency, over £6bn has been spent on flood and coastal erosion projects in the UK; however, with more extreme weather likely to occur, the risk of flooding has not been removed. Floods can also occur inside the home as a result of burst pipes, which can also cause significant damage. If you know your at risk of flooding you could keep alot of your valuable items high off the ground in a sealed locked garage on top of Garage Shelving with sites similar to garage-shelving.co.uk.
Here are some things you can do to try to prevent your home being flooded.
Protect electrical sockets and fittings
We all know that water and electricity do not mix, which means you may be without electricity for several days whilst it dries out and is made safe. If you move switches, circuit breakers and sockets to a least a foot above any expected flood level, you can avoid this problem. It won’t stop your home from flooding, but it will limit the damage.
Modify your water valves
The most serious damage is sometimes not caused by the flood water itself but by the sewage that pours out of drains and toilets as the sewerage system of your neighbourhood is overwhelmed. If you have to call out a plumber in a flood situation, it may be too late for them to do anything about this.
The best plan is to call them out earlier and ask them whether you can have interior or exterior backflow valves fitted to your drainage system. One type is a gate valve, which provides a strong seal if water tries to flow the wrong way through your drains.
Landscape the exterior of your property
If your garden or yard slopes downwards towards your house, floodwater will quickly run towards your home and flood it. If you can landscape your outside space so that the slope is graded away from your home, this could protect you from flooding. Take some time to observe how water flows around your garden during a rainstorm, as this will give you some idea of how you could direct the flow of water away from your house.
