Easy tips to help you prevent your house from flooding!

Evaluate the risk of flooding in your home

The first step to flood protection is to determine how likely you are to suffer a flood in your area, and how well your house is built to withstand it.

The FEMA Flood Map Service shows general flood risk by region. Enter your address in the search bar to see your area's flood zones, or click "Search All Products" and select your state, county and community to see reports of your region's flood history.

The flood maps include a number of zone markings that indicate the flood risk of a region and its relevant structures, such as bridges, dams and levees.

Flood Insurance

Next, work with your flood insurance agent or adjuster to determine the specific flood level of your house. The flood level is the height at which flood waters could rise during inclement weather. Ideally, your home should be built above this level in order to be reasonably protected from flood damage. If your house is at the bottom of a valley, for example, it could have a higher flood level than a neighbor's house that’s uphill of yours, since more water might flow toward your home.

Learn how flood waters might enter your house by evaluating the surface runoff the next time you experience significant rain or snowmelt. Note whether the water flows toward or away from your home, as well as any doors or basement windows that it pools around. This will help you understand the overall risk of flooding and identify specific areas that might benefit from dry-proofing techniques.

Take preventive steps when flooding starts

If a storm is imminent, or flooding has already started, follow these steps to minimize flooding and water damage to your property:

• Turn off the water line, if that is the source of the flooding.

• Clear out gutters and drains so that water can flow freely.

• Use sandbags to block any gaps that will lead to flooding.

• Move rugs, furniture, electronics and other valuables to a higher floor of the home, or elevate them.

• Shut off your electricity at the breaker panel, if flood water is close to reaching your electrical system.

• If it's not raining, open windows to allow air flow through your home.

• Turn on your sump pump or use a shop vacuum to remove water as quickly as possible.

• Photograph or videotape any flooding to document and defend your claim with your flood insurance provider.

If your house floods, call

It’s All Clean San Diego immediately!

Only professionals can handle flood and water damage to protect your assets as much as possible and remove all the water from your home. It’s All Clean San Diego have experienced and licensed professionals to help you in these bad situations.