Call Us 906-789-0900 ☰ ˟
Logo
Call Us 906-789-0900
  • Our Agency
    • AboutImage of right arrow
      • Meet Our Team
      • Our Locations
      • Community Involvement Page
    • Get A Quote
    • Companies We Represent
    • Contact UsImage of right arrow
      • Escanaba Office
      • Powers Office
  • Products
    • Home & Auto Insurance
    • Auto InsuranceImage of right arrow
      • Liability Coverage
      • Comprehensive Coverage
      • Collision Coverage
      • Uninsured & Underinsured Motorist Coverage
      • Diminishing Deductible
      • Accident Forgiveness
      • Minor Violation Forgiveness
      • Roadside Assistance
      • Specialty Auto Insurance
      • 24-Hour Customer Service
      • Towing
      • Rental Reimbursement
      • Personal Injury Protection (PIP)
      • Medical Payments Coverage
      • Classic Car Insurance
    • Home InsuranceImage of right arrow
      • Flood Insurance
      • Property Insurance
      • Homeowners Liability
      • Renters Insurance
      • Condo Insurance
      • Mobile Home Insurance
      • Scheduled Property Insurance
      • Landlords Insurance
      • In-Home Business Insurance
      • Seasonal Homeowners Insurance
    • Pet Insurance
    • Other Personal InsuranceImage of right arrow
      • Identity Theft
      • Personal Umbrella Insurance
      • Data Backup
    • Farm InsuranceImage of right arrow
      • Crop Insurance
      • Farm Owners Insurance
      • Farm Livestock Insurance
      • Equine Insurance
      • Farm Equipment Insurance
      • Farm Dwelling Insurance
      • Farm Structures Insurance
      • Farm Auto Insurance
      • Farm Umbrella Insurance
      • Farm Liability Insurance
    • Life InsuranceImage of right arrow
      • Individual Life Insurance
      • Group Life Insurance
      • Long-Term Care Insurance
      • Mortgage Protection Insurance
      • Disability Insurance
      • Second-To-Die Policy
      • Key Person (Key Men) Insurance
    • Health InsuranceImage of right arrow
      • Medicare Insurance
      • Individual & Family Health Insurance
      • Group Health Insurance
      • Dental Coverage
      • Vision Coverage
      • Long-Term Care Insurance
      • Temporary Health Insurance
      • Supplemental Insurance
      • Disability Insurance
      • Medical Expense Insurance
      • Child Health Insurance
      • Travel Health Insurance
      • Prescription Insurance
      • HSAs
    • Recreational Vehicle InsuranceImage of right arrow
      • Boat Insurance
      • Motorcycle Insurance
      • Motorhome Insurance
      • ATV Insurance
      • Snowmobile Insurance
    • Financial ServicesImage of right arrow
      • Annuities
    • Additional Insurance ServicesImage of right arrow
      • Wedding Insurance
      • Other Services
    • Coverage for Specific IndustriesImage of right arrow
      • Accounting Firm Insurance
      • Alarm Contractors Insurance
      • Insurance for Arborists
      • Construction Insurance
      • Consulting Firm Insurance
      • Specialty Trade Contractors Insurance
      • Craft Brewery Insurance
      • Educational Facility Insurance
      • Financial Institution Insurance
      • Healthcare Facility Insurance
      • Healthcare Practice Insurance
      • Law Firm Insurance
      • Life Science Insurance
      • Limousine Services Insurance
      • Livestock Insurance
      • Maintenance Contractors Insurance
      • Manufacturing Insurance
      • Maritime Employers Insurance
      • Media & Advertising Insurance
      • Orthotics & Prosthetics Insurance
      • Pool & Spa Insurance
      • Printers & Publishers Insurance
      • Railroad Contractors Insurance
      • Real Estate Businesses Insurance
      • Retail Insurance
      • School Bus Contractors Insurance
      • Scrap Metal Insurance
      • Security Guards Insurance
      • Self-Storage Insurance
      • Septic Contractors Insurance
      • Specialized Truck Equipment Insurance
      • Technology Services Insurance
      • Tow Trucks Insurance
      • Water Well Drillers Insurance
    • Coverage for Your BusinessImage of right arrow
      • Leave Management
      • Loss Control Insurance
      • Marine Insurance
      • Business Owners Policy (BOP)
      • Commercial Auto Insurance
      • Commercial General Liability
      • Commercial Property Insurance
      • Commercial Umbrella Insurance
      • Crime Insurance
      • Inland Marine Insurance
      • Professional Liability
      • Workers Compensation
      • Bonds
      • Fidelity Bonds
      • Surety Bonds
    • Coverage for Your EmployeesImage of right arrow
      • Group Benefits
      • Group Disability Insurance
      • Voluntary Benefits
      • Retiree Health Coverage
      • Group Health Insurance
      • Disability Insurance
      • Individual Life Insurance
    • Travel Insurance
  • Contact Us
    • Escanaba Office
    • Powers Office
    • Locations & Hours
    • Get A Quote
Auto Icon

Auto

We browse through a wide variety of coverages and find the right one for you.

Learn More
Home Icon

Home

We browse through a wide variety of coverages and find the right one for you.

Learn More
Business Icon

Business & Commercial

We browse through a wide variety of coverages and find the right one for you.

Learn More
Life Icon

Life

We browse through a wide variety of coverages and find the right one for you.

Learn More
Health Icon

Health

We browse through a wide variety of coverages and find the right one for you.

Learn More
Home > Blog > Preparing Your High-Risk Home for Weather Floods
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2022

Preparing Your High-Risk Home for Weather Floods

The chance of severe weather could lead to damages if you live in an area that is prone to flooding. You likely know this, and that’s why you keep a close eye on the weather.  

If you live in a home that is a high risk for flooding, it’s your responsibility to know how best to control those risks. In the event of severe weather, keep your liabilities in mind. 
flooded street with sandbags up against a door
Before Weather Strikes: Know your Risks 
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) develops and adjusts national flood risk maps. Flood maps detail areas that are at risk of flooding to a hyper-local area. These maps help communities predict the effects and locations of flooding. 

Flood maps generally categorize flood risks as high-, medium- and low-risk. Each home and location has an assigned amount of risk. Map developers use factors like elevation, proximity to water, annual precipitation and soil quality to determine flood risks. 

Buying a High-Risk Home: Get Flood Insurance 
The standard home insurance policy usually doesn’t come with flood coverage. Most homeowners have to buy a separate flood insurance policy to cover these risks. Flood insurance can cover property damage, losses and other liabilities associated with floods. 

By law, most high-risk homeowners have to buy a certain level of flood insurance. FEMA’s flood maps, in conjunction with the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), help determine the requirement for many homeowners. The NFIP helps homeowners who experience flood risks obtain private insurance coverage. 

Constructing a Home with Lower Risks 
By following guidelines, you can construct your home in a way that reduces flood risks. A variety of regulations mandate how to construct homes to reduce flood risks. By utilizing some or all these recommendations, you could prevent flooding. 

  • Plan to build the home on an elevated parcel of land. Many companies can construct artificial inclines on which to build the home. 

  • In some cases, homeowners can elevate flooring above the foundation of the homes. Therefore, if flooding does occur you might be able to reduce flood damages. Furthermore, some homeowners may also add flood openings around the foundation. These openings can sometimes allow floodwaters to pass under the home. 

  • If you live near a body of water, find out if there are artificial dams or levees around the area. Also learn who is responsible for maintaining these enclosures. 

  • On your property, maintain drainage ditches or streams. Ensure that they direct water away from the home at all times. You may have to periodically reconstruct these areas due to soil erosion. 


You can visit FEMA's website to learn more about flood-safe construction mechanisms. 

Reducing Risks to Your Home 
If you live in a high-risk home, even flood insurance can’t eliminate the risk of a flood. If a flood does occur, you could lose your home or possessions to severe damages. 

There are many maintenance tasks that you can undertake to make your flood risk even lower. By taking steps to reduce flood risks, you can also reduce the likelihood of a high flood insurance claim. 

  • Know how to protect your most valuable property in case of a flood risk. Should rising waters threaten, try to move your most valuable items out of the home or to an upper floor. 

  • Check around the home for loose pipes of leaks. Look for breaks inside and outside your home. Your water and sewage pipes all pose risks of breaks. 

  • When cold weather threatens, insulate your pipes to keep them from freezing. Freezing liquids expand, and in severe circumstances could cause the pipes to burst. You can insulate pipes by wrapping them or exposing them to stable sources of warm air. 

  • Clean out your gutters. Clogged drains can cause water to overflow your gutters and pool around your house. This could cause flooding. 

  • Make sure that your drainage pipes run away from the home, and empty in an area that does not let water accumulate. 

  • Ensure that your roof does not leak. This could easily endanger the structural integrity of your home. The average roof has a five to 10 year lifespan. 

  • Ensure that your basement and foundations have proper seals. When it rains, the seals can help keep water out of the home. You should check your seals annually, before a season of heavy rains set in. 

  • If imminent flooding threatens, an artificial levee may help direct water away from the home. You might be able to construct a barrier using sand bags or other deterrents.

 

The threat of flooding to a high-risk home can result in insurance risks and costs to the owner. By taking proper protections, you might be able to reduce the risks of financial losses to your home. 

Get in touch with Garceau Insurance Agency today. We can help you find a flood insurance policy that can help protect you in case of losses. Give us a call at 906-789-0900 today for more information. 

Posted 1:14 PM

Tags: flood insurance
Share |


No Comments


Post a Comment
Required
Required (Not Displayed)
Required


All comments are moderated and stripped of HTML.

NOTICE: This blog and website are made available by the publisher for educational and informational purposes only. It is not be used as a substitute for competent insurance, legal, or tax advice from a licensed professional in your state. By using this blog site you understand that there is no broker client relationship between you and the blog and website publisher.
Blog Archive
  • 2023
  • 2022
  • 2021

  • life insurance(4)
  • homeowners insurance(2)
  • home insurance(2)
  • health insurance(2)
  • boat insurance(2)
  • workers compensation insurance(2)
  • pet insurance(2)
  • classic car insurance(2)
  • cyber liability insurance(1)
  • car insurance(1)
  • cyber insurance(1)
  • bop insurance(1)
  • business insurance(1)
  • flood insurance(1)
  • auto insurance(1)

View Mobile Version

Contact Us Today!
906-789-0900

Social Social Social

Resources

  • Products
  • About Us
  • Refer A Friend
  • Our Carriers
  • Blog
  • Contact Us

Contact Us

823 Ludington Street
Escanaba, MI 49829

P: 906-789-0900 | Fx: 906-789-9124
© Copyright. All rights reserved. | Powered by Insurance Website Builder