Its Flood Season in Georgia
March and April are typically the months with the greatest rainfall in Georgia. If you live in Northeast Atlanta including Duluth, Lawrenceville, and Douglasville – now is a good time to water-proof your home and make sure that your homeowner’s insurance policy includes coverage for flooding and water damage.
Take the time to inspect your home for flood risk.
Flood risk is not on solely dependent on location and weather history. So, just because you haven’t experienced a flood in the past, doesn’t mean you won’t in the future. A number of factors determine your risk of flood including: rainfall, river-flow and tidal-surge data, topography, flood-control protection, and changes in landscape due to building and development. Some things you can do to make sure your home has good drainage include:
Clear your gutters!
A clogged gutter causes massive problems to your houses foundation by allowing roof runoff water to drip at your house’s corners. This pooling of water seeps through your walls causing flooding. Clogged gutters are even believed to be responsible for cracks in your home’s foundation.
Bridge gaps with flashing
Flashing is that sheet metal material that is used to deflect water away from sensitive areas like windows or doors. Flashing is usually used at the end of your home’s eaves, so that water is forced completely off the roof and to the ground or gutter. Flashing needs to be replaced periodically, so check your home carefully.
Check your downspouts
Downspouts should be pointed three to four feet away from your home’s foundation. You can test your downspouts by running a hose in your gutters for 10 to 15 minutes. Make sure that your downspouts are not blocked up and that water flows through freely.
Pay attention to your home’s grading
Many homes in Atlanta have some slope to them because of the hilly landscape. If you live at the bottom of a slope -watch out. Soil should slope away from your house not toward your house. The ground around your home should slope at leas six inches down. If you’re grading needs improvement, you can buy clean fill dirt to build up a slope around your house.
Water damage is one of the most expensive problems you will encounter when owning a home. Of course the best way to treat water damage is avoiding it in the first place with the proper prevention. However, there is no way to predict natural disasters and you may not be aware of the water damage your home already has acquired.
The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) says that over the course of a 30-year mortgage, there’s a 26 percent chance that your home will incur some flood damage. While many home owners insurance policies in Georgia do not require you to have flood insurance, it is a wise idea to add it as an additional coverage.
Tags: Bridge Gaps, Flood Control, Flood Season, Runoff Water, Sensitive Areas