The Flood Vent Blog

Colorado continues to recover from its devastating floods. Damage is estimated to surpass $2 billion, with multiple fatalities and over 1,500 homes destroyed.

The bulk of flooding was a result of moist air from the Gulf of Mexico falling on Colorado’s northern Rockies. In some areas, almost a year’s worth of rain fell in four days. As a result, mountainsides collapsed, sending water rushing through canyons and ravines, picking up debris along the way. To make matters worse, floodwaters flowed through mining operations and oil and gas drilling sites, raising fears of water contamination.

Adding to the devastation is that most Coloradans don’t have flood insurance. Many homeowners only get flood insurance when required by their mortgage lender. Because Colorado is not a coastal state and most homes aren’t located on flood plains, the level of flood insurance coverage is low.

It’s also true that homeowners whose homes are not located on flood plains are less likely to install flood vents. But as the Colorado floods demonstrate, even homes not located on flood plains can experience severe flooding as a result of torrential rainstorms, rapid snow melt and even accidental blockages of rivers and waterways.

If you’d like to learn more about installing flood vents in your home, feel free to contact us. Our FEMA compliant flood vents withstand rust, rot and rodents and are available in a variety of models and colors. Each vent comes with easy-to-follow installation instructions and heavy-duty screens.

FEMA recently added a photo-sharing feature to the FEMA app. With “Disaster Reporter,” people can upload GPS tagged photos from a disaster area and submit them to a public map. This feature allows people, including first responders and community members, to share real-time disaster-related information.

According to an article in Mashable, all submitted photos will go through an approval process to ensure images are relevant, authentic and don’t disclose any personal information.

The FEMA app is free and currently available for download in the Google Play store or the iTunes App store. You can view FEMA’s disaster reporter map on the FEMA website.

Of course you hope to never see a photo of your home (or anyone’s home!) on the FEMA disaster map. However, if disaster should strike your community, there are preventative steps you can take to mitigate flood damage, such as installing flood vents. Flood vents can help reduce structural damage to your home by equalizing internal and external floodwater pressure. To learn more about our FEMA compliant flood vents, contact us.

While it’s important for everyone to prepare for disasters, individuals living with a disability, or other access or functional needs, may need to take additional steps.

In “Prepare for Emergencies Now: Information for People with Disabilities,” FEMA outlines the following emergency preparation steps for people with disabilities:

1. Be informed – Know what types of emergencies are likely to affect your region.
2. Make a communications plan – Have a plan for keeping in touch with your network. Let them know where you will shelter or evacuate.
3. Build an emergency kit – Stock your kit with basic supplies as well as additional resources you may need, such as medical equipment, assistive technology, food for special diets, medicines, etc.
4. Get involved – Consider assisting emergency planners and others with community disaster preparation.

For individuals dependent on assistive technology devices, loss of electrical power can be a serious threat. Plan in advance for alternative ways of charging assistive devices before disaster strikes.

For more information on emergency preparedness for people with disabilities, watch FEMA’s video, “Preparing Makes Sense for People with Disabilities and Other Access and Functional Needs.”

Whether you have a disability or not, it’s important to do what you can to limit damage to your home from disasters. If your home is in an area susceptible to severe weather-related events, such as hurricanes or rapid snowmelt, consider installing flood vents in your home. Our FEMA compliant flood vents can make the difference between a home you can save, and a home you must tear down.

All our flood vents are made here in the U.S.A. For more information about our flood vents, contact Flood Solutions.

On the news, we often hear of an area being declared a “major disaster” when struck by flooding, storms, wild fires, tornadoes or other events. What does this declaration mean, exactly, and why is it important?

Only the President has the authority to issue major disaster declarations. These declarations are important because they release an array of federal programs to assist with response and recovery. Usually, the President makes the declaration at the request of a state governor. The governor of the effected state formally requests assistance, and then state and federal officials conduct a preliminary damage assessment.

Generally, the assessment must show that the disaster is so severe, state and local officials can’t handle it. In the assessment, officials consider factors such as amount and type of damage, impact on infrastructure, threats to public health and safety, and impacts to essential government services and functions.

More information about the declaration process is available on FEMA’s website.

Of course, it’s wise to take steps to prevent and mitigate damage from these types of events well before they’re declared a major disaster. When it comes to flooding, an important way to mitigate damage is to install flood vents. Flood vents are installed in the foundation of your home, which allows water to flow through. The idea of letting flood water into your home is counterintuitive, but it helps to protect your home’s structural integrity by more evenly distributing water pressure.

Flood Solutions FEMA compliant flood vents are made of heavy-duty aluminum and built to withstand rut and rot and rodents. For more information about our flood vents, contact us.

With insurance rates rising, most policyholders are looking for ways to reduce their premiums. One possible way to decrease your flood insurance premiums is through the National Flood Insurance Program’s (NFIP) Community Rating System (CRS).

The CRS is a voluntary program that rewards communities that exceed the NFIP’s minimum standards of floodplain management. Communities accumulate CRS credits through proactive flood related activities to receive discounted flood insurance rates. Depending on the number of credits accumulated, policyholders can receive a reduction of 5% to 45% in their premiums.

To participate, communities have to be fully compliant with NFIP’s minimum floodplain management requirements. They also have to appoint a CRS coordinator and submit an application form. For more information about the program, download the CRS Coordinator’s manual.

Today, over 20,000 communities participate in the program. A recent FEMA blog post revealed how policyholders in one community, Altoona, PA, receive a 10% discount on their annual premiums (an average of $77.00 each) for their efforts.

More than likely, your community is already doing things that would earn CRS program credits. For example, conducting periodic inspections of drainage system channels, keeping computer records of flood and property data and regulating new construction to minimize soil erosion, all count towards the CRS program. Getting a discount may be largely a matter of collecting and submitting the required paperwork.

The CRS program also awards credits for activities related to flood damage reduction. Because flood vents are a proven way to mitigate flood damage to your home, installing flood vents may help your community gain CRS credits. In fact, aside from the CRS program, many insurance providers give discounted rates to homeowners with FEMA compliant flood vents. To learn more about our heavy-duty flood vents, contact us.

After the horrific images of flooding and damage from Hurricane Sandy, it’s nice to see some normalcy return to New York beaches.

Rockaway Beach in Queens was particularly hard hit by Sandy, with many homes and businesses destroyed. The storm pulled apart 2.5 miles of wooden boardwalk and disrupted electricity and train services for weeks.

Today, Rockaway is bouncing back, which is great news for residents and visitors. Naturally, part of the recovery effort has focused on mitigating damage from future storms. For example, crews are rebuilding the barrier wall separating the beach from homes, but this time they’re driving the pile footings 25 feet deep into the ground.

This FEMA video provides a quick overview of some of the recovery efforts:

There’s a lot more work to do. Construction equipment and crews are still on the scene, and some beach areas remain off-limits to swimming. For up-to-date information on the Rockaway beach and boardwalk, visit the City of New York Parks & Recreation.

From the Rockaway recovery effort, we can take away this valuable lesson: it’s cheaper and more effective to mitigate flood damage before disasters occur, rather than trying to fix things afterwards.

As a manufacturer of flood vents, we’ve taken this lesson to heart. Flood vents are simple to install and, compared to the value of your home, relatively inexpensive. Yet the installation of flood vents can make the difference between a home you can salvage, and a home beyond repair.

To learn more about our FEMA compliant food vents, contact us.

We use flood maps to assess the risk of flooding. If our home or business is located in a high flood risk area, most of us will take steps to prevent and mitigate future flood damage.

But sometimes floods occur well outside high-risk areas. In June, large parts of Alberta, Canada were hit with unexpected flooding when rivers overflowed their banks. Alberta is a useful case study in how floods can develop rapidly and unexpectedly, even in areas not prone to flooding.

The Alberta floods resulted from a convergence of several factors:

Unusual weather pattern

One of the biggest contributors to the Alberta floods was an unusual weather pattern. A moisture laden weather system became trapped between a high-pressure system to the north and the Rocky Mountains on the west. Winds blowing from the east also prevented the wet weather system from moving. As a result, this system sat in place and created a constant downpour of rain over the mountains for several days.

Saturated soil

The area had already experienced several days of thunderstorms, so the ground was saturated with moisture. In addition, much of the ground (especially at higher elevations) remained frozen just below the surface, further reducing its ability to absorb water. As a result, more water flowed into streams and rivers.

Snow melt

The constant heavy rains sped up the rate of snow melt on the mountains, further adding to the volume of water moving downstream.

Steep watershed

The shape of the land also contributed to flood conditions. The watershed area for the region is relatively long, narrow and steep. Consequently, the land has less time to absorb water, and the water travels faster, increasing its power.

It took all of these factors combined to produce severe flooding in southern Alberta. It demonstrates that, given the right set of circumstances, flooding can happen almost anywhere.

Whether your home is in a high or low risk area, a great way to mitigate flood damage is to install flood vents. Flood vents allow flood waters to move through your home, instead of creating outside pressure that can permanently damage your home’s structural integrity. Flood Solutions FEMA compliant flood vents are easy to install and guaranteed not to rust or rot. For information about our flood vents, contact us.

Jason Lindesmith, Social Media Lead for Public Affairs, FEMA, recently blogged about how technology has helped him get through several disasters, including Hurricane Irene and Hurricane Sandy. In his post, he reveals the technology tools he found most useful.

1. Staying powered up

Lindesman found that one of his best tools was a weather radio, especially when his power was knocked out for several days. His model had small solar panels and a hand crank for charging as well as multiple ports for charging other devices. Cranking his radio for 1-2 minutes would give him a 20-30 minute charge on his cell phone.

2. Useful emergency apps

Lindesmith particularly liked the Red Cross Hurricane app, the FEMA app and Microsoft HelpBridge. But don’t wait for a storm to hit before downloading them. Because Lindesmith had downloaded the apps well in advance, he was able to access all previously downloaded safety information, even when cell networks were unavailable.

3. Access to information is key

During Hurricane Irene, Lindesmith found himself relying heavily on social media to get the latest updates from towns, cities, school districts, local elected officials, local media, the department of transportation and others.

But he discovered that non-techie approaches were equally helpful. He learned a lot about the local situation just from talking to neighbors. He suggests getting to know your neighbors now so you can more easily share information should a disaster occur.

While you’re getting technology ready, don’t forget to take preventative steps to mitigate damage to your home. Flood vents are a great way to reduce the risk of structural damage when flood waters rise. Our FEMA compliant food vents are constructed in the U.S.A. For more information about Flood Solutions flood vents, contact us.

A number of systems exist to alert people to natural or man-made disasters, such as the NOAA Weather Radio and the Emergency Alert System (which broadcasts over TV and radio). One system you may be less familiar with is the Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) system, which allows local, state and federal authorities to send text messages to WEA-enabled cell phones within range of a severe weather event or other emergency.

You don’t need to register to receive WEA notifications, but your phone does have to be WEA capable and your wireless carrier must participate in the program. To learn if your mobile device can receive WEA alerts, contact your carrier or visit the CTIA website.

FEMA recently launched a public service advertising campaign to raise awareness of the service. The WEA system has only been in place for two years and has never been publicized through advertising before. To learn more about the WEA system, visit the Ready.gov website. This New York Times article also provides a good overview.

While alert systems are an important way to notify people of imminent disasters, they probably won’t give you enough time to get home and take steps to limit damage. In severe cases, you may be advised to leave the area immediately. That’s why it’s important to do what you can to mitigate damage from floods and other disasters well before they occur.

Flood Solutions FEMA compliant flood vents are a proven way to help prevent structural damage to your home from flooding. In addition, Flood Solutions flood vents are always in the open position, so you don’t have to put yourself at risk by rushing home to open them as flood waters rise. To learn more about Flood Solutions flood vents, contact us.