Hurricanes And The Importance Of Preparedness
Within the United States, hurricanes are most associated with Florida and the Gulf Coast, and it’s in these areas that construction companies and government agencies do their best to prepare for the worst. However, as Hurricane Sandy so recently and dramatically proved, the rest of the East Coast is not safe from the heavy rainfall and devastating winds of a tropical cyclone.
Just half an inch of rainfall from an ordinary storm can dump 2700 gallons of water on a thousand-square-yard lot, and a hurricane can drop anywhere from 4 to 7 inches and beyond in a single day. Even beyond potential hazards like floods, flash floods, overloaded storm drains, and flying debris, whatever problems your property has with water drainage become magnified to an incredible degree during a hurricane.
Some aspects of hurricane damage are out of your control, and if you need to evacuate ahead of one then there likely isn’t much you can do to prepare your home from the oncoming storm. However, if you live further in from the coast and outside any flood zones, there are precautions you can take to keep your basement and foundation safe from potential water damage:
- Make sure the ground slopes away from the sides of your house. If it slopes towards your house, water will tend to accumulate in and around your foundation, inviting water damage.
- Clean out your gutters and downspouts. Your home’s drainage system is specifically designed to keep rainwater away from the foundation.
- Periodically check your basement or crawlspace for cracks, water seepage, and mildew. Fixing a minor problem is much less expensive than fixing a major one, and every minor problem you ignore or fail to notice will eventually grow in size.
If water should happen to get into your basement courtesy of a hurricane or a more ordinary storm, and if you live in Maryland, DC, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, or northern Virginia, then you should call AA Action Waterproofing for a free repair estimate. We can also waterproof your basement or crawlspace ahead of time so that you’ll have one less thing to worry about.
Hurricanes happen whether we like them or not. However, there are measures we can take to minimize the damage, and failing that we can always rebuild and repair afterwards.