Safe Land Practices to Prevent Flooding

A variety of resources determine the flood risk that each unique property faces. FEMA and the National Flood Insurance Program are instrumental in establishing local flood risks.

Your home, business, or other property does face a flood risk, however minimal. Depending on the amount of risk you face, you may have to buy a certain amount of flood insurance for your property.

Keep in mind, the standard property insurance usually doesn’t include flood coverage. Flood insurance is a separate type of policy.

If you live in an area at risk for flooding, then flood insurance is a safe and worthwhile investment. It can protect your property and liabilities from financial losses.

When building on flood-risk locations, there are many steps you can take to reduce the risk of damages to your new home or business.

First, Obey the Law

Many localities have laws for those who want to build homes or business in flood-prone areas. You often have to abide by federal flood laws and local zoning rules before you build in a high-risk area.

For that reason, always make sure you have the property appraised and inspected by local officials before beginning to build. Your local authorities can give you information about insurance requirements. They can also tell you about any suggested or required construction techniques.

Keep Safe Construction Practices in Mind

You may have to follow a lot of local ordinances to build on land with flood risks.

However, you can often take steps when building a new property to reduce its flood damage risks. By incorporating some of these practices, you may be able to reduce your flood insurance rates.

• Landscape appropriate drainage ditches to direct water flows away from the home. Periodically restructure these ditches to improve their flow.
• Build your home on an inclined level above the area of a typical flood zone. Many construction companies can build reinforced, environmentally safe soil platforms to raise the ground level.
• Learn how the construction of artificial levees could direct water away from the home.
• Consider building your home in a raised fashion. You can also elevate your floor levels away from rising water.

Of course, never forget to follow local construction rules that may forbid or require certain forms of flood-safe construction.