Anyone who lives in the Tri-State area of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware knows that the region gets its share of bad weather and occasional floods caused by the overflowing of local rivers. That’s why, if you live in this area, creating a flood preparedness plan is essential for ensuring the safety of your home and family, minimizing damage, and effectively responding to flooding events. Here is our step-by-step guide on developing a comprehensive flood preparedness plan you can use for future reference.
4 Tips To Prepare For a Flood
1. Risk Assessment
The first step is identifying flood-prone areas. You can review historical flood data for your area, topography, and local water bodies. Armed with this information, you can better determine the likelihood and potential severity of flooding and damage in your area. For example, anyone living in the Tri-State area knows that the Delaware River is prone to overflowing, especially up north in Newhope, Lambertville, Yardley, and Washington Crossing.
2. Emergency Response Planning
When coming up with your plan, it’s important to clearly outline roles, responsibilities, and communication procedures. Your plan should include evacuation routes, emergency shelter locations, and other protocols in case you need rescue or assistance. You also want to have a good water damage restoration company in hand to help with the aftermath and cleanup following the flood event.
3. Flood Monitoring
If you don’t have any kind of flood monitoring in place, now is the time to start. You can use technology and real-time data to track water levels, weather forecasts, and potential flooding situations you may be in the vicinity of. Make sure all the local alerts and warnings reach you, even overnight.
4. Review Your Flood Insurance
Make sure you regularly review and update your flood insurance policies, especially if you are in an area more prone to this kind of damage. The right flood insurance is a good component of your emergency preparedness plan as it can mitigate financial losses when faced with water damage.
What to Do Following Flood Damage
Now that you know what you can do to prepare ahead of a storm in your area, let’s look at a few steps to take following the storm to start tackling the flood damage.
- Document the Damage: Start by documenting all the damages for insurance purposes. Take a photo and video and file it with your claim.
- Mitigate Further Damage: If it’s safe to do so, start removing water and drying out your property. Doing this right away can help prevent mold growth in the affected areas of your home or business. You should also open windows, use fans if possible, and add dehumidifiers to help with drying.
- Dispose of Contaminated Items: If you have something you can’t clean properly or disinfect and dry, it will have to get tossed, especially if it has any contact with the flood water.
- Seek Assistance: If the cleanup is just too much and you aren’t sure what needs to be done or what should be repaired, it is time to get some outside assistance. Emergency assistance from a water remediation company may be just what you need to reduce the damages and get the cleaning job done properly in a good amount of time.
Water damage can be challenging and frustrating, especially if you aren’t prepared. A flood preparedness plan can put you in a better position overall and can save you from some damages and expenses.
About MDL Restoration
MDL Restoration is a full-service emergency mitigation and restoration contractor serving homeowners and business property owners in Eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. They specialize in helping property owners recover from disasters like floods, fire, mold, wind, and much more. They rapidly respond to any emergency and can be reached at (215) 943-3382.
