The Flood Vent Blog

Flood Solutions was recently featured as a “success story” in Sweets. As many of you know, Sweets is a premier source of information on building materials, products and manufacturers for those in the design and construction industries. It’s more formally known as the McGraw-Hill Construction Sweets Network and informally as the architects and engineers’ Bible.

The story details our company’s humble beginnings, and how we’ve grown our business 30-fold over the past 30 years. How did we do it? We make our flood vents readily available and competitively priced, while always providing outstanding personal service to our customers. We also use the Sweets network to market our products. Download Sweets Flood Solutions success story.

You can also see our founder and CEO, Lori Malitsky, in this Sweets promotional video:

Are you looking for flood vents to protect your home from serious flood damage? Our FEMA compliant flood vents have been installed in homes and businesses across the U.S.A. For more information, contact us.

If your home has suffered property damage from Hurricane Sandy or other declared disaster, you can apply to FEMA for housing assistance. You can apply by phone, online, via a mobile device or by visiting a disaster recovery center.

Once FEMA receives your application, they may contact you to schedule a housing inspection. The purpose of the housing inspection is to assess and verify damages. Inspections take about 30-40 minutes, and you’ll need to show identification and proof of home ownership. The inspector will submit a report to FEMA, and FEMA will provide you with a written response to your application.

There’s no fee for the inspection. Beware of scam artists who take advantage of disaster-struck homeowners by posing as inspectors and collecting fees or banking information. FEMA inspectors will never ask for this type of information or collect fees. They also carry an official identification badge, which you can ask to see.

One thing FEMA inspectors look for during an inspection is structural damage. Structural damage can be devastating, with high repair costs (when repairs are possible). Flood vents can help to minimize structural damage. They allow flood waters to flow through, which helps equalize pressure inside and outside your exterior walls. You may sustain some water damage, but the structural integrity of your home is more likely to remain sound.

Flood Solutions manufactures and sells only FEMA compliant flood vents, manufactured in the U.S.A. For more information about our flood vents, give us a call at 800-325-9775 or email info@floodsolutions.com.

Now that recovery efforts for Hurricane Sandy are well underway, some observers are discussing how to minimize damage from future storms. After all, recovery is expensive, with property damage estimated to be $20 billion in New York and other parts of the Northeast.

Most of the disaster mitigation discussions cover tactics such as installing flood gates at subway entrances, moving transformers and switching stations above ground and erecting sea barriers. Although good ideas, these are big-ticket items that would require significant commitments from federal, state and local governments and agencies.

But how about individual homeowners? Is there anything you can do to help minimize flood damage to your home? Absolutely. Steps such as elevating furnaces, hot water heaters and electrical panels, using mold-resistant building materials, and not placing expensive furnishings in your basement can all help reduce damage.

However, the most expensive type of damage isn’t a wet carpet or broken electrical panel. Homes with structural damage require expensive repairs, when they can be repaired at all. Structural damage can occur when flood waters surround your house, creating a pressure imbalance between the interior and exterior of your home. This pressure imbalance can permanently damage your home’s structural foundation.

One way to mitigate structural damage from flooding is to install FEMA compliant flood vents. Flood vents allow water to enter your home, so water pressure is more equal between the interior and exterior. You may sustain some damage to the contents of your basement, but the structural integrity of your home is more likely to remain sound.

Are flood vents a good option for your home? Find out more by contacting Flood Solutions. We have FEMA compliant flood vents for both new construction and existing homes.

In this blog, we’ve written about the importance of having an emergency plan for your family and business in case flooding should occur.

Another part of the emergency planning process is putting together an emergency kit. According to FEMA, your kit should include enough food, water and supplies to keep you and your family going for at least three days.

So what food should you include? Ideally, you want nutritious, non-perishable items stored in sealed containers. Real Simple magazine recently came up with a list of foods suitable for emergency stockpiling. Some of them include:

• Peanut butter
• Whole-wheat crackers
• Nuts and trail mixes
• Cereal
• Granola bars and power bars
• Dried fruits
• Canned meats (tuna, salmon, chicken)
• Canned vegetables
• Canned soups

Be sure to accommodate for any special dietary needs and include baby food and/or pet food as needed. Also, try to choose salt-free or low-salt foods so you don’t increase your thirst, and be sure to include a manual can opener and eating utensils.

According to some experts, it’s better to have food stored in cans than jars because jars are more susceptible to flood water contamination. For more on food safety after flooding, Utah State University has helpful information on foods to keep and foods to discard post-flood.

As you take steps to ensure your family will have the food, water and supplies they’ll need during a flood, be sure to take steps to protect the structural integrity of your home as well. Our FEMA compliant flood vents protect your home by allowing flood waters to flow through. It’s easier to clean up a wet basement than tear down your home and start over. For more information about our flood vents, contact us.

As usual, hurricane season brings a lot of national news coverage, and this season is no different.

As part of its coverage, ABC News recently posted a nice summary of disaster preparation tips. It includes the following:

1. Prepare for phone interruptions
2. Create and test your disaster plan
3. Check your insurance policies
4. Assess your house for vulnerabilities
5. Take a video or photos for a home inventory
6. Prepare supplies
7. Plan what to do with your pets

You can view the entire article on the ABC News website.

Part of assessing your house for vulnerabilities is considering the installation of flood vents. Our FEMA compliant flood vents can help maintain the structural integrity of your home should flooding occur. A wet basement is a small price to pay for a structurally sound home.

All of our FEMA compliant flood vents are made here in the U.S.A. For more information, give our flood vent experts a call.

Hurricane coverage on local news programs can sometimes leave children feeling vulnerable and afraid. Sometimes the best way to overcome these fears is to empower children with information and ways to help.

To that end, FEMA recently introduced a new blog category specifically for children. Two FEMA mascots, “Flat Stanley” and “Flat Stella,” blog about disaster preparation and recovery for a younger audience.

The two mascots recently visited the American Red Cross, and they describe how people are working together to help those in need. They also suggest ways for children to get involved, such as volunteering or raising money for volunteer groups.

Another blog post covers the importance of emergency supply kits and suggests items to include in their family’s kit, such as food, water, a flashlight, first aid supplies, a weather radio and games.

If you have younger children at home, this can be a great way for them to learn about disaster preparation and response in a positive way.

When you take a look at the Stanley and Stella blog, be sure to consider including flood vents in your flood mitigation plans. Our FEMA compliant flood vents can help maintain the structural integrity of your home should floods occur. For more information about our many flood vent sizes and styles, contact us.

As if flooding isn’t enough to deal with, disaster-area residents also have to protect themselves against those who would take advantage of their situation. FEMA recently issued a press release warning Louisianans of scam artists operating in the wake of Hurricane Isaac.

According to the press release, phony housing inspectors and fraudulent building contractors have descended on Louisiana’s disaster areas to get banking information from susceptible homeowners. The area has also seen bogus pleas for post-disaster donations and fake offers of state and federal aid. FEMA reminds residents to ask for identification badges, check references and never give banking or other sensitive information to anyone over the phone, email, letter or in-person.

It pays to be cautious, even when you’re in a disaster zone. The same is also true of preparing your home before disaster strikes. When you’re looking for a reputable source for flood vents, it pays to find a manufacturer with experience and a solid reputation.

At Flood Solutions, our family-owned business has been designing, testing and manufacturing vents for over 50 years. All our flood vents are FEMA compliant and manufactured in the U.S.A. We make all our flood vents from heavy duty extruded aluminum, so they’ll never rust or rot. They’re rodent resistant and should last you a lifetime.

To learn more about our flood vents, contact Flood Solutions.

Most of you probably know that flood vents can mitigate flood damage to the foundation of your home. But did you know that flood vents can also help protect your home from other problems, such as pests, rot, mold and mildew?

A common cause of these problems is moisture. When basements and crawl spaces remain damp for prolonged periods of time, they can attract termites and promote the growth of fungi and rot as well as offensive smells and unhealthy air.

Because foundation vents ventilate basement areas, they can help reduce moisture levels and prevent mold and termite problems.

Not sure if termites have already invaded your home? Consider bringing in a professional inspector to examine your property. Here’s a quick overview of how they might proceed:

Do you have dampness or limited air flow in other areas of your home? Our parent company Sunvent Industries provides a complete line of air vents and accessories.

To learn more about our FEMA compliant flood vents, contact Flood Solutions.

There are plenty of flood vents on the market. It’s not that hard for companies to make them overseas using cheap materials and manufacturing processes.

At Flood Solutions, we take a different approach to flood vent production. We make all our flood vents using a high quality manufacturing process called extrusion. In extrusion, construction materials (in this case, aluminum) are pushed or drawn through a die. Extrusion produces an extraordinarily strong product with an excellent finish.

All our flood vents are constructed with extruded aluminum. They’re strong enough to resist vandals and rodents and withstand extreme weather and environmental conditions. In fact, you many already have extruded aluminum in your home – it’s commonly used in door and window frames because of its superior strength and durability.

Extruded aluminum has another benefit as well: It can help reduce your carbon footprint. Extrusion is a green manufacturing process that creates products to last a lifetime. Because they won’t rust, rot or bend, you won’t add to landfills by buying replacement flood vents.

In addition, all our flood vents are manufactured here in Pelham, New Hampshire, USA. We carefully monitor all aspects of manufacturing to ensure high quality.

Thanks to our excellent designs and quality manufacturing, all our flood vent models are FEMA compliant. For more information about our manufacturing process or to place an order, contact us.