Flood insurance can be expensive, but paying for flood damages can be even more costly. Ideally, you should have a flood insurance plan if you live in a high-risk zone for flooding. However, if you’ve assessed the risks and deemed it not worth paying extra for a separate flood insurance, it may help to know some cost-effective ways to prevent flood damage in the unlikely event that a flood does strike your home or business.<\/p>\n
Have your gutter and downspout cleaned<\/strong><\/p>\n Having your gutters and downspouts maintained and free of debris can allow water to pass more easily into them, carrying it to a place that will create the least amount of damage and decrease the chances of flooding, which can save you thousands in water damages.<\/p>\n Cost: $100-$200<\/p>\n Seal all documents and electronics in water proof containers or ziploc bags<\/strong><\/p>\n Waterproof bags and containers are a cheap way to keep your important documents and electronics such as laptops or tablets safe in a flood. For only a few dollars, you can save hundreds or even thousands in damages to your electronics as well as the stress of replacing legal documents. If you have valuables that don’t fit in a bag or container, cover them in garbage bags or plastic wrap and place them in a high place, such as an attic.<\/p>\n Cost: $3-$10<\/p>\n Invest in a sump pump<\/strong><\/p>\n If you have a basement, it may be worth it to invest in a sump pump, a pump used to remove water that accumulates in the areas of a home. While it may seem costly to buy and install a sump pump, it is still less expensive than paying for maintenance and repairs of a flooded basement.<\/p>\n Cost: $900-$1,200<\/p>\n Put sandbags in front of doorways to block water from entering<\/strong><\/p>\n Placing sandbags in front of doorways can help control flow of water in a flood and prevent erosion. In some cases, placing bags in front of doorways can also help prevent water from leaking in.<\/p>\n Cost: <$1 per bag<\/p>\n Roll up carpets and rugs to prevent molding<\/strong><\/p>\n At no cost at all aside from your own time, you can roll up carpets, rugs and curtains in order to prevent molding, which can be extremely hazardous to your health.<\/p>\n Cost: Free<\/p>\n Plug Drains<\/strong><\/p>\n Plugging up floor drains as well as toilets, showers and sinks can prevent sewage backups and save you the time and stress of messy clean ups after a flood.<\/p>\n Cost: Free<\/p>\n Even if you can’t afford flood insurance, these tips will drastically reduce flood damage and ease the recovery process after a flood at little or no cost to you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Flood insurance can be expensive, but paying for flood damages can be even more costly. Ideally, you should have a flood insurance plan if you live in a high-risk zone for flooding. However, if you’ve assessed the risks and deemed it not worth paying extra for a separate flood insurance, it may help to know […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":2004,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18,1],"tags":[],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.national-hurricane-center.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1980"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.national-hurricane-center.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.national-hurricane-center.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.national-hurricane-center.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.national-hurricane-center.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1980"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.national-hurricane-center.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1980\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.national-hurricane-center.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2004"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.national-hurricane-center.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1980"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.national-hurricane-center.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1980"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.national-hurricane-center.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1980"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}