Home Maintenance Tips to Prevent Storm Flooding

4/1/2021 (Permalink)

Check that roof and gutters to prevent storm tragedies.

With storm season approaching, microbursts and prolonged bouts of rain can lead to flooding and damage. To prevent this, it’s wise to check the following items around your home to keep you safe when the clouds unleash their precipitation.

Clean Your Gutters

Gutters need to be cleaned at least twice a year – in the spring and in the fall when you’re most likely to experience leaves or needs dropping and clogging up drains. If you have pine trees near your home, needles will need to be removed every three months to reduce the potential for clogging the gutters and downspouts. There are actually a few simple steps to prevent this from happening, so you don’t experience a flood in your home. Simply getting up on the roof near your gutters and manually cleaning out the blockage is a good start. Many homeowners will you a power spray or hose with a narrow nozzle to get the blockage you’re unable to get by hand. There are also businesses that will clean your gutters for you.

Check Your Roofing

Florida weather really do a number on your roof. It’s important to keep an eye on it and address any areas of weakness where water may come through. Whether you go up on the roof yourself to inspect or hire a professional to do it, it’s a smart idea to give your roof the once-over at least once a year to prevent water damage from a leaky roof. Depending on what your roof is made of a simple repair could do the trick, or you may need more substantial work.

Keeping good drainage around your home

Some hurricane seasons are more damaging than others. Before you experience a heavy rainstorm, walk around your home to make sure you have good drainage all around your house. If you find water puddling next to your foundation, or see water moving toward your home instead of away, it’s important to fix this so that water doesn’t seep inside and cause damage.

If You Do Experience Water Damage

When you find water making its way into your house, it is time to call in professionals who can handle this situation as efficiently as possible. From the moment that our SERVPRO of West Gainesville/Alachua County West team arrives at your home, we work to assess what needs to happen to prevent water from continuing to enter your home and allow for extraction and drying to occur successfully.