ServicePros Local Educates Customers on Flood Preparedness

  CHICAGO, IL - 02/01/2017 (PRESS RELEASE JET)

ServicePros Local, a national water damage repair company, is recommending that people be ready and prepared for flooding in the coming year. The increased heat in the Earth’s climate is causing more serious storms and flooding in parts of the world. It’s also causing increased snowfall in others. 

NOAA reports that there were over $2.86 billion dollars in damages caused by floods in 2014, the latest figures they have on record. That figure was dwarfed in 2016 by the $8.9 billion dollars in estimated damages from the Louisiana floods.

According to ServiceProsLocal.com, the first thing to learn how to stay safe in a flood is to know how to protect themselves. They’ve created a flood safety and preparedness guide to teach people how to protect themselves. But protecting your home and goods from a flood requires advanced preparation. Goods can be moved to higher ground like an attic, but you can’t get your home out of the way.

The first line of defense is your gutters. Climb up onto a ladder and see if there is anything blocking your gutters. Pour some water through and see if it flows away from your home. If not, call a qualified repair person to repair your gutters before the spring rains come.

This is also a good time to build french drains and other water control devices to drive water away from your foundations. Also, check for soggy spots near your foundation or weak parts in your roof once every season. If you notice these, call a professional landscaper or roofer to get them fixed before water leaks into cause damage.

If you do notice that water has infiltrated your basement or roof, get up what water you can and call a repair company. Stagnant water in the home is an invitation for mold and mildew damage. It can also freeze inside of cracks and widen them, leading to a huge flood.

If you take some preparations now to keep yourself, your goods, and your home safe from flooding, you’ll be prepared no matter how weird the weather gets.