Regular flood seasons or unexpected storms and flash floods are equally dangerous and destructive. That is why all homeowners are wondering what kind of home flood barrier will do the best job, preferably serve for many years and won't cost a ton of money and effort.
In this article, we shall talk about the 5 variations of home flood barriers and ways to protect your residence from flooding. All of them are low-maintenance, long-term solutions that can be combined or adjusted according to your needs and expectations from a residential flood control solution.
Some of these suggestions will entirely change the way your house is seen from the point of FEMA. In other words, if before these procedures your house was considered a high risk of flooding that requires flood insurance after you finish the adjustments, the building can be elevated to the rate of low flooding risk.
However, you should keep in mind that no matter how well you reinforce the home itself, floods are happening more and more often and it is always reasonable to keep in mind several flood control methods.
1 - Wet Floodproofing
It is a way of preventing flood damage to unoccupied areas of your building by allowing water to enter during floods. in other words, water can become a home flood barrier.
Effective wet floodproofing prevents floods from entering and leaving the house, reduces damage to places below the flood level caused by contact with the floodwaters, and protects service equipment from the floodwaters both within and outside the home.
Wet floodproofing techniques include using flood vents, flood damage-resistant building materials, and positioning service equipment above the expected flood elevation.
2 - Dry Floodproofing
Sealing your structure to prevent flooding from entering.
Dry floodproofing includes the installation of a home flood barrier, waterproof shields for windows and doors, the use of sealants and membranes to limit the seepage of floods through walls, and the reinforcing of walls to resist floodwater pressures.
It should be noted that FEMA does not permit dry floodproofing for new, significantly upgraded, or damaged residential structures in the SFHA.
3 - Elevation of the building
When an existing building in the floodplain sustains significant damage or is significantly upgraded, the structure's elevation is both allowed and necessary.
Elevation is the process of elevating your house or other building such that the ground floor is two feet above flood level. Additionally, the raised structure's footprint cannot be expanded. Additionally, mechanical equipment will need to be raised.
4 - Building a Floodwall
To keep floodwaters from reaching your structure, construct a wall around it.
Before commencing work, this must be reviewed and approved by SEMSWA (see Working on the Floodplain for more details). Building a flood wall won't take a building off of the FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRM).
5 - Demolition.
Some may consider it an extreme way to floodproof their household, but there are cases when a building becomes an ultimate money pit and quality flood control methods such as flood barriers turn out more robust than the building itself.
As you may have suspected, demolition as a way to barrier your house from floods is razing your damaged structure and either constructing a new one on the same piece of land beyond the floodplain.
Remember that only elevation, relocation, and destruction may result in a facility being removed from the floodplain and fulfilling the minimal FEMA standards.
Additional techniques like a home flood barrier could be employed to reduce losses, but they are not acknowledged as satisfying the minimal standards set by FEMA (the structure would stay in the floodplain as indicated, and flood insurance might still be necessary). However, flood barriers are widely recommended by FEMA and other emergency services and officials as an efficient home flood barrier and flood control solution for various buildings and constructions.
If you want to learn more about modern flood control. flood barriers and other products are available on your local market, make sure to contact Dam Easy today!
Our team will help you make informed decisions about floodproofing your house and consult about the latest developments, as well as a well-tested method to floodproof any construction.
Contact Dam Easy today, before the new flood season hits!
Even if you use one of these techniques to minimize your property, keep in mind that you need to have flood insurance.
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