Don’t wait until it’s too late! Prepare now for a future flood!

8/30/2019 (Permalink)

How You Can Prepare for a Flood?

Build an emergency kit

This type of kit may come in handy in a variety of emergency situations, including a flood. Store the contents of your emergency kit together, somewhere you can easily grab it in a hurry if you must evacuate on short notice. A basic kit includes the following:

• Water: One gallon per person per day for drinking and sanitation purposes. Try to have at least three days’ worth in your emergency kit.
• Food: Shoot for at least a three-day supply of non-perishable items.
• Manual can opener: You must be able to open canned non-perishable food without electricity.
• Radios: A hand-crank or battery-powered radio and a NOAA Weather Radio.
• Flashlight: Don’t forget the extra batteries.
• First aid kit: Complete with bandages, cloth tape, antibiotic ointment, medicine, cold compresses, gauze pads, scissors, and tweezers.
• Whistle: Signaling for help is easier when you can make noise.
• Emergency shelter kit: A tarp or plastic sheeting and duct tape are perfect for a makeshift shelter if you need one.
• Personal sanitation items: Pack moist towelettes, garbage bags, and twist ties in your emergency kit.
• Local map: GPS is all the rage, but don’t underestimate a trusty paper map.
• Extra cell phone charger: You might not have time to grab the one you normally use, so keep a spare in your emergency kit.

Make a family communications plan

Discuss certain points with your family so everyone can think with a level head if a flood occurs:

• Create a meeting spot if the flood strikes while the adults are at work and/or the children are at school.
• Parents, talk with your children’s schools to learn their flood evacuation policies.
• Talk about what to do with your pet in case of an evacuation. You may decide to leave your furry companion with a family member or friend outside the immediate danger area. Whatever you do, don’t leave your pet behind.

Take precautionary measures at home

• Don’t build or buy a home in a floodplain unless you elevate and reinforce it.
• Lift the furnace off the ground by setting it on bricks to protect it if the basement floods.
• Install check valves to ensure flood water doesn’t back up the drains.
• Seal the basement walls with waterproofing compounds.
• Construct barriers around your home to stop flood waters from getting in.

Once the flood passes and the danger subsides, your home might not be the same as it was. That’s where storm damage cleanup and restoration services come in. The goal of recovering from any disaster is to restore your home to its original condition. Contact SERVPRO of Dover Middletown today to learn more.