Flood!

Aug. 15, 2014 | Written by: Lori

The Detroit area was hit hard this week with flooding from a torrential downpour on Monday. The roads looked more like rivers and basements were flooded everywhere. My sister came home to find her basement flooded with some of her dogs in their kennels up to their chests in water. She was obviously very upset and ran down to the basement to get them out. Sometimes when it comes to these kinds of situations, in our panic, we don’t think about the dangers that could be lurking in a flooded basement.  Here are a few tips on what to do if you find your basement flooded:

·        Most importantly, before you rush down into a flooded basement turn off the electricity!! As we all know, water and electricity don’t mix and can be fatal.

·        Use a pump, wet vac or bucket to siphon as much water out as possible. After most of the water is drained, soak up as much of the remaining water as you can with mops and rags.

·        Haul out any soggy belongings and dispose of them or let them dry out before you put them back in your basement.

·        Get fans and de-humidifiers running to evaporate as much moisture as possible to prevent mold and mildew from developing.

Here are some things that can be done that can help prevent flooding in your basement:

·        If your basement floods a lot (or if your basement is below the water table level) and you don’t already have a sump pump installed, you might want to consider installing one. They are designed to collect water draining toward your house and funnel it out to a public drain or a particular area where it won’t do damage to your house.

·        The yard and landscaping around your house should be designed where it slopes away from the perimeter of your house. Plant any sort of vegetation at least 12 inches away from the foundation of your home.

·        Clean gutters and downspouts regularly and make sure the downspouts dispose water at least 5 feet away from your house.

·        Make sure basement windows and vents are sealed.

While there may be no amount of preparation that would help when Mother Nature decides to cut loose and show us who’s boss (it seems like she’s doing it a lot lately!), we can try to brace ourselves as best we can. The amount of flooding in Detroit was incredible and we wish everyone affected by it the best in recovering from this storm.

 

(Source:  http://advice.porch.com/basement-floods )

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