Steps on How to Protect Your Waterfront Home from Storm Damage

Waterfront houses are very much prone to damages from the elements such as hurricanes, floods, and storms. Heavy rain, flooding and even strong winds can destroy your waterfront houses from inside and out if not protected. Here are some of the most common protection tips on how to get your house prepared for the storm.

• Learn how to weatherproof your house. Check if metal sheets are taped around the windows, doors, and any part of the house’s exterior which leakage may occur. Areas like windows, doors, and chimneys are some of the areas where you will usually see leaks caused by heavy rain or the pooling of water.
• Dab caulk on the outside of your window if you see any drips. It will stop the drip for a year or two if you dab it on the right spot. Make sure that your house is built for water to get behind the siding so that it won’t get trapped. Trapped water creates mold and mildew and can even cause the wood to rot.
• Create a flood vent outside your wall. Flood vents acts like a flood port in your house. It’s an opening in your wall designed to allow passage of water in both directions. It is made to reduce the risk of damaged cause by floods or flood water in your house’s structure. Flood vents are required by various building codes, especially those that are located in flood-prone areas.
• Make sure that your gutters are properly installed and its downspouts can the handle surface volume of the water coming off the roof. Make sure that the gutters are its proper size to make sure that it won’t give in to water pressure. Improperly sized gutters and downspouts won’t be able to keep up with the heavy rain and may even cause further damage.
• Make sure that your house’s landscape is built to keep the water away from the house. Making sure that the water is moving away from the house can act as a barrier if in case the flood gets high.
• Raise any electric circuits, switches, sockets, and wirings at least a foot above the flood level expected in your property. Any other indoor and outdoor equipment should also be above the expected flood level. This will keep both you and your electrical equipment safe during the storm.
• Take last- minute check before the water rises. Listen to the news and be alert for any updates about the storm. Make sure that all gutters, drains and downspouts are clean and are free of debris. Move your furniture, rugs, belongings and any other electronics to upper floor or at least one foot above the ground floor. Shut off the electricity and make sure that nothing is plugged on any outlets.