How to Prevent Flood Waters From Entering

How To Prevent Flood Waters From Entering

• 1

  Elevate your building and reinforce it using one of several methods suggested by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The FEMA pamphlet on elevating flood-prone homes can be found at on FEMA's website. Options include raising the entire foundation and placing a higher support under it, as well as adding on living space in a higher level of the home and making flood-prone portions unnecessary for living.

• 2

  Place sand bags or beams, stacked higher than flood waters would be expected to rise, across areas outside and away from your building to prevent the flow of water from reaching the house. Stack a row of bags or wooden beams in a line side by side across the area where water is likely to approach. Stack the next layer on top securely and angle the makeshift wall in a direction that would cause water to roll away or around the building. This type of water blocking may prevent significant damage to the interior of your dwelling.

• 3

  Seal the walls of any basements of low-level floors with a waterproofing compound to prevent seepage from saturated soil. Use a product such as Masterseal 340, Chemrix or ChemMasters and brush it on in thick, even coats. The compounds are completely waterproof but will not bend. If there is shifting in your foundation or walls, the cracks may open up and allow seepage.

• 4

  Clean out your gutters regularly and keep debris off the roof to allow for free flow of water down the drains. If gutters are clogged with leaves or debris, floodwaters can back up and possibly cause leaking into the building from above.