Tag Archive: FEMA

If water has ever flooded your house or business, you’ll sympathize with this home owner. Notice how the door leading from his basement to his garage bends under the water’s pressure.

You may already be familiar with how flood vents help minimize damage from flood water pressure, but have you thought about installing a flood vent in your garage door?

This may seem counter intuitive. After all, can’t you just raise or lower your garage door as needed to alleviate pressure from rising flood water?

Probably not. Unlike flood vents, garage doors require human intervention to raise or lower them. When flood waters are rapidly rising (and you’ve moved to higher ground), you can’t count on being able to raise or lower your garage door as needed.

Flood vents are specifically designed to allow water to move freely through buildings to minimize damage. Without flood vents, unequal water pressure from inside or outside the home can cause windows, doors, and even garage doors to blow out. They can also cause structure damage to the building.

FEMA and the National Flood Insurance Program don’t consider garage doors to be “flood openings.” These organizations have design and installation requirements for flood vents. Once properly installed, FEMA compliant flood vents can reduce your flood insurance premiums.

At Flood Solutions, all of our flood vents are FEMA compliant and satisfy NFIP requirements. We have a selection of flood vent models, sizes and colors to choose from, including our “F” model which is ideal for garage door applications. Flood vents are easy to install in new building constructions or into existing homes and commercial properties. We manufacture all our flood vents in the U.S.A.

Want to learn more about protecting your garage and home with flood vents? Contact Flood Solutions.

When flooding is imminent, it’s too late to take steps to significantly reduce property damage. As residents of New York State’s Southern Tier found out during recent flooding, it pays to prepare for flooding well before it occurs. By taking a few precautionary steps, you can not only minimize damage to your home but also reduce after-flood repair costs.

Flood vents are one of the most effective ways to protect your home during flooding. Installed in the foundation of your home, flood vents allow free flow of water in and out of buildings. Protecting your home by letting water in (as opposed to keeping it out) might surprise you, but unequal water pressure from inside or outside your home can lead to structural damage and even building collapse. Mopping up a wet basement will cost less than repairing your foundation or replacing your home.

You can minimize damage to the contents of your house by putting as little in your basement as possible. Elevate your furnace, hot water heater and electrical panel and move anything expensive or valuable to higher floors. When you remodel or repair your home, use mold resistant drywall and insulation. For more flood mitigation tips, see FEMA’s list of flood preparation steps.

Don’t wait until flood waters threaten before taking action to protect your home and reduce repair costs. Contact Flood Solutions while your basement is still dry.

Damage to property and possessions from flooding can cost you thousands (and thousands) of dollars. For a rough estimate, check out FEMA’s Flood Smart cost of flooding tool.

Fortunately, you can help protect against financial loss from flooding with good insurance coverage. But not all insurance coverage is alike, so you’ll want to understand the fine print. Here are a few questions to ask your flood insurance provider:

What’s covered and what’s not?

Most policies cover building property and personal contents, but most don’t cover property outside of the insured building. These means you’ll need separate coverage for your deck, barbeque, swimming pool or car. In addition, most policies don’t cover living expenses should you evacuate.

How much coverage do I need?

People tend to underestimate the value of their possessions. You’ll want enough coverage to mitigate your losses. It’s worth taking a careful tally of what you own.

Also, some policies provide replacement cost value while others provide actual cash value for damage items. Make sure you (and your insurance agent) understand the difference.

Do I live in a flood zone? What’s the flood risk?

You can use FEMA’s Map Service Center for preliminary research on your flood risk. Keep in mind, however, flooding doesn’t just occur from tropical storms or heavy rain. Your basement can just as easily flood from snow melt or the construction site next door.

Who do I call?

Make sure you know who to call to make your insurance claim. It will be much harder to track down contacts or information in the midst of a disaster.

How can I lower my premiums?

Some insurance providers charge lower premiums to homeowners who take steps to mitigate flood damage. For example, by installing flood vents from Flood Solutions, you may be eligible for reduced insurance premiums.

Check out FEMA’s Flood Smart website for a complete list of questions to ask your insurance agent. Contact Flood Solutions for more information about how flood vents can lower your insurance costs.