Snow, Ice, and Flooding

For most of us, cold winter is still raging on. In fact, there are storms coming across the country again this week. However, on the warmer side of these storms there will be heavy rain, not snow. This could lead to massive flooding. Back in August my home state of Utah was hit hard with a monsoon causing massive flooding to many homes. Fields and skate parks turned into pools and many homes in my neighborhood and community were left with inches of water in their basement. Watch this video to see what kind of flooding we were dealing with: Utah Home Basement Flooding. One apartment complex, in particular, had 2+ feet of water inside the lower-level apartments leaving one man trapped until the water levels dropped. Water can be devastating. But like most emergencies, if you prepare ahead of time it can reduce or eliminate the crisis. So if you are in an area that has potential flooding what can you do? 

First, acting quickly will be key. Having the right tools can keep water out of your house or reduce the damage significantly. Water filling up in window wells was a major problem. It would then leak through the windows, or in extreme cases break the window. Having a sump pump ready to go quickly (this is the one that performed the best out of the many we used) can get the water out of the window well leaving you with a nice dry basement. But it's not enough to just have the sump pump. You need to know where it is, you need an extension cord to plug it in (or another way to power like a generator (with fuel) if you lose power in the storm), and a hose to re-direct the water. I keep my sump pump in a 5 gallon bucket with an extension cord and hose all together so I can act quickly. Another item that could help is sand bags. Being able to block the water or re-direct it could save your basement from flooding. There are also some alternatives to sand bags that some people have found useful.

A wet/dry shop vac (don't forget the water filter), buckets, towels, and a lot of manpower are useful if the water does get into your home.

Remember to be careful dealing with water and electricity. Know where the breakers are located and use extra caution.

Fans and air movers were hard to come by. Every store in the area was sold out. So having one on hand could be the only way you can get one in the moment. Dehumidifiers are also helpful after the fact. Don't underestimate mold. Leaving all that moisture in your home could be catastrophic.

One key for us was community involvement. Neighbors checked on each other and shared their resources to help, going from home to home as needed. Some were more prepared than others, but many were willing and able to help each other out.