The Flood Vent Blog

If you’re already a Facebook user (and even if you’re not) Facebook pages are an easy way to get weather news. Simply by “liking” the pages of weather-related organizations, weather updates will be added to your newsfeed. Here are a few of our favorites:

The National Weather Service

The U.S. National Weather Service collects and distributes weather data across the United States. When you like their Facebook page, you’ll get forecasts and weather warnings as well as links to other weather-related organizations.

FEMA

FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) is responsible for coordinating responses to disasters that overwhelm local and state authorities. FEMA’s Facebook page has helpful tips for disaster preparation, including flooding, as well as weather information and updates. They’re also one of the few Facebook pages that can list their founding date as 1803. Impressive!

The Weather Channel

The Weather Channel also has a Facebook page. Lighter in tone, it features fun weather-related stories and user submitted photos from across the U.S. Become one of 1,000,000 Facebook users who “like” the page.

Keeping up to date on weather and flooding is only part of flood preparation. If you live in an area prone to flooding, installing FEMA compliant flood vents can help save your home from serious structural damage. To learn more about our different flood vent models and easy installation, contact us.

Flooding can devastate businesses and homeowners alike; but there are some additional things to consider when dealing with floods and commercial properties. Here are some pointers to make sure you and your commercial property are prepared should flooding occur.

1. Know your level of flood risk. Check flood maps for your area and talk to local authorities. Sign up in advance to receive flood warnings. Keep in mind that flooding can happen not only as a result of hurricanes but also from snowmelt, levee failure and even burst pipes.
2. Make sure you have sufficient amounts of the right kind of insurance. Consider not only property damage but damage to inventory and business disruption.
3. Take preventative steps. It costs less to mitigate flood damage than to respond after the fact.
4. Develop an emergency plan. Take steps to minimize damage. Make sure staff and commercial tenants know what to do in case of flooding and have an evacuation plan in place.
5. Review landlord-tenancy agreements. Understand who is responsible for damage to personal items, inventory and business equipment from flooding.
6. Consider installing FEMA compliant flood vents. Floods vents are relatively inexpensive to purchase and install, and they can help maintain the structural integrity of your commercial property.

FEMA has a guide to help businesses and commercial property owners prepare for emergency situations. The Emergency Guide for Businesses and Industry is available for download.

All Flood Solutions flood vents are FEMA compliant. They can be installed into existing commercial properties or new developments. Contact the flood vent experts at Flood Solutions to learn more and keep your commercial property safe.

In an earlier blog post, we talked about how to create a family emergency plan in case of flooding or other disasters. While a family plan is important, it’s also important to have an emergency plan for your business. Business emergency plans help companies prepare for and recover from disasters.

Generally, developing an emergency plan for your business consists of the following steps:

1. Risk assessment. Identify possible risks to your business. What events could limit sales or stop production? Which events would have the most impact?
2. Strategy development. What strategies could help prevent these events or lessen their impact?
3. Action plan development. Determine how to put some of these strategies in place. Who will do what? Which strategies have highest priority?
4. Update and review. Your business emergency plan is a living document. Periodically review and update it as your business changes.

Small businesses are especially vulnerable to disruption because they have fewer resources and less financial backing to absorb losses. Fortunately, Ready.gov has templates available for business continuity planning and emergency response planning to make the process easier. By working through these templates and implementing each step, the chances of your business successfully surviving a disaster or emergency will be greatly improved.

If you’re not sure how prepared your business is to deal with and overcome flooding or other emergencies, the American Red Cross has an online emergency preparedness self-assessment tool to measure the emergency preparedness of organizations. The test is free, but you’ll need to register.

Flood vent installation is an important part of emergency planning for many families and businesses. Flood Solutions FEMA compliant flood vents are easy to install in homes and commercial/industrial buildings. For more information about making flood vents part of your emergency plans, contact the flood vent team at Flood Solutions.

All floods can be devastating, but flash floods are particularly treacherous. Flash floods can happen without warning, giving people little time to prepare.

According to the National Severe Storms Laboratory, a flash flood is a rapid rise of water along a stream or low-lying area. It usually results from heavy rainfall that causes rivers and streams to swell and overflow their banks. It may also result from dam or levee failures. Flash flood waters can roll boulders, move cars, and destroy buildings and bridges. Unfortunately, densely populated areas are at most risk, as roads, parking lots, and buildings reduce the amount of rain the ground can absorb, intensifying flood effects.

Flash flood waters don’t need to be particularly high to cause devastation. According to one report, it only takes six inches of fast flowing water to sweep a person off their feet and only 23 inches to move a four-wheel drive vehicle (!).

In January 2011, a flash flood swept through the town of Toowoomba, Australia. Here is some remarkable footage from that disaster to give you a sense of the power of flash floods:

Protect your home from flash and other floods. Our FEMA compliant flood vents allow water to flow through your home which helps maintain the integrity of your home’s foundation. Contact Flood Solutions to learn more.

How will you get information if your home or community is threatened with severe weather or flooding? This is something to plan for before emergencies arise. Here are a few ideas on where to get up-to-the-minute information of floods, severe weather and other threats. Take the time to bookmark, subscribe, download or follow these information sources now.

The National Weather Service

Part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the National Weather Service provides weather forecasts and warnings for all of the United States. The National Weather Service website has maps and forecasts, including winter storm watch, flood watch and hazardous weather outlooks. You can sign up for NOAA email alerts and RSS feeds for weather warnings. You can specify the types of weather warnings you’d like to receive – everything from tsunami warnings to automated flood warning systems.

NOAA also operates the NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards. This nationwide network of radio stations broadcasts continuous weather and emergency information. You must purchase a special radio receiver or scanner to pick up their broadcast signals.

The Weather Channel

The Weather Channel also has weather alert services. You can get information from their website or sign up for email alerts, SMS alerts and even voice alerts.  They also have apps for mobile and tablet devices.

Local News Channels

Local radio and television news channels are another good source of weather and emergency information. Take a look at each channel’s website and see if they have email alerts or Twitter feeds for weather related news. For example, WMUR in New Hampshire has email and SMS alert services for hurricane warnings.

State and Local Officials

Responsibility for local flood and severe weather warnings lies with states and local communities. FEMA has an interactive map that can help you see what state and local community resources are available.

For example, if you select Virginia on FEMA’s map, you’ll find that the Virginia Department of Emergency Management has a Twitter feed dedicated to hazards within the state and local regions.

In addition to signing up for flood and severe weather alerts, installing flood vents is another smart thing to do before floods occur. Flood Solutions’ FEMA compliant flood vents can help preserve the integrity of your home and their heavy-duty aluminum construction means they’ll never rust. Contact Flood Solutions to learn more.

March 12-17 was National Flood Safety Awareness Week. During this week, government and emergency response organizations draw attention to flood hazards and encourage people to take steps now to minimize the impact of future floods.

One of the best ways to protect your family during a flood is to have a family emergency plan. It’s hard to make smart decisions in the midst of an emergency where fear and panic can take over. Developing a plan in advance can you’re your family get through an emergency safely and comfortably.

A family emergency plan details what you and your family will do before, during and after an emergency. FEMA’s Preparing Makes Sense video describes why a family emergency plan is so important.

FEMA also has a downloadable family emergency plan template. It prompts you to select out-of-town contacts, meeting places and evacuation locations as well as record contact information for family members, work locations and schools.

Complete the plan with your family and keep a copy in your emergency kit along with your emergency supplies. Be sure to update the plan periodically.

Although protecting the lives of you and your family is paramount, you can also take steps to protect your home. Flood vents help protect the foundational integrity of your home by allowing flood waters to flow through. Take a look at our complete line of FEMA compliant flood vents. Contact Flood Solutions to learn more.

Flooding and other disasters aren’t just an adult problem – they affect children too. As with all emergencies, the best approach is to involve children (at an age appropriate level) in getting prepared.

There are many resources available online to help children and their families prepare for an emergency, such as flooding. FEMA’s Ready Kids takes children through a step-by-step process to know the facts, make a plan, build an emergency kit and then graduate from “Readiness U.” It provides topics to discuss at family meetings, such as how family members will get in touch with each other if separated during an emergency. The site also includes games and fun activities to initiate discussion and answer questions.

Discovery Education has a site on emergency preparedness for teachers, students and families, complete with a map to track severe weather. It has a downloadable emergency plan worksheet and supply kit checklist and videos classified by grade level about extreme weather and emergency planning.

For younger children, Sesame Street has Let’s Get Ready!, another emergency planning site. It covers important things that even young children should know, such as their parents’ full names, addresses and phone numbers. According to Grover, preparing for a large-scale emergency is no different than preparing for other potentially dangerous activities, like riding a bicycle. If it makes sense to wear a helmet, it makes sense to develop an emergency plan.

Is your family ready for flooding or other disasters? Putting together an emergency plan and kit is a great way to prepare your children (and yourself) for the unexpected.

Make Flood Solutions’ FEMA compliant flood vents part of your flood preparation plans. Contact Flood Solutions to learn more.

You love your home, and you want to stay in your current location. So what do you do when rising river levels put your home in jeopardy? Homeowners living along some stretches of the Chesapeake and Mississippi rivers are asking themselves this question. For some, the best solution is to mitigate flood damage by elevating their homes.

Elevating your home is not a cheap or easy solution. But in some cases, it costs less than tearing down and building elsewhere. Although elevating your home can seem a little scary – there’s nothing like seeing your beloved home suspended on stilts – elevation techniques are proven, and there are many qualified contractors. An elevated home may also qualify for reduced flood insurance premiums. In some cases, financial assistance may be available to flood insurance policyholders. You can see how one family went through the home elevation process in this FEMA video.

An important part of home elevation is to install openings in the foundation – so flood waters can flow underneath the home. After all, there’s no point in raising a home if rising waters will cause structural damage to the foundation. One of the easiest ways to let water flow in and out is flood vents.

Flood Solutions has several FEMA compliant flood vent models to choose from. Constructed of heavy-duty aluminum, our flood vents are perfect for installation into existing openings. Contact Flood Solutions to learn more about our complete line of FEMA compliant flood vents.

Unfortunately, it’s not unusual for pets to get left behind during natural disasters. According to some reports, 1000 pets were euthanized in the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew in 1992.

With hurricane season approaching, FEMA is reminding people to include their pets in their hurricane evacuation plans. Here is Rich Serino, FEMA’s deputy administrator, on the subject:

There are many steps you can take to keep your pets safe, even in the face of flooding. Here are just a few:

• Plan to take your pets with you. They may not survive at home, even with food and water.
• Keep your pets’ vaccinations up-to-date. Most shelters won’t take pets without proof of current vaccinations.
• Prepare an emergency bag of food, water, and medications. Include a leash and vaccination papers.
• Have a portable carrier ready.
• Plan in advance where you will go. If you can’t keep your pets with you, consider boarding them at a pet shelter, veterinary clinic or friend’s home located outside the flood zone.
• Make sure your pet is clearly identified either on their collar or, even better, with a microchip.

After you and your pet return home, it will take time for your pet to adjust. Keep your pet on a leash while you monitor their behavior. Changes in scents can disorientate pets and lead to them getting lost. Be aware of new hazards, such as debris and water-born reptiles.

Check out the Louisiana SPCA’s disaster preparedness tips for more information.

Minimize damage to your and your pet’s home by installing our FEMA compliant flood vents. Contact Flood Solutions to learn more.