What you need to know about summer flooding

The weather warms, school ends, and it’s time to think about holidays and vacation! Unfortunately, there’s another concern that often looms on the horizon when summer comes: summer flooding.

Summer floods

As we explained in our article about common causes of flooding, one of the top reasons for a home flood is due to weather. During the summertime, at least in the Western Hemisphere, rain and storms become more common. Warmer temperatures increase evaporation, which leads to more moisture in the air to create rain clouds. The shifting temperatures can also lead to storms that are more severe and cause higher amounts of damage and flooding. For instance, in the summer of 2015, Oklahoma experienced the single highest month of rainfall ever recorded!

Storm preparedness

The time to prepare for dealing with summer storms and flooding isn’t when rain is in the forecast- it’s beforehand. Taking some basic safety measure to protect yourself and your family can go a long way. Good practices include:

• Purchasing a battery-operated radio to stay up to date with weather information when power is out
• Keeping a stock of clean water and non-perishable food items
• Making sure your whole family knows where emergency supplies are
• Stocking a basic first aid kit
• Keeping flashlights and fresh batteries ready to go
• Learning your area’s historical incidence of flooding
• Keeping note of any other risk factors for your home in particular

Protecting your home

If local rainfall or flash flooding is severe enough, there may not be any way to truly prevent your home from being affected. But in the case of a more mild rain, or to simply stay ahead of any issues, we recommend the following:

• Make sure your basement has a properly working sump pump
• Ensure the ground around your home slopes water away from it
• Keep gutters clean and free of debris
• Keep an eye out for any cracks or other issues with your home’s foundation

If you have questions about summer rain, flooding, or anything else along these lines, please contact the Flood Medix! We will be happy to help you out and prepare you for the summer.