Prepare your home from heavy rain

What would you do?

Preventive measures

• Keep gutters, drains and outdoor drainage grades free from leaves and forage to avoid saturation.
  Keep water incursions away by having your home on a higher surface than its surroundings. If this is not the case, dig a trench around it for drainage.
• Installation of a drain protects against water incursions through the walls and sewer.
• If you have a drain well that collects storm and waste water on your property, add an extra pump and get additional draining power.
• If you have carpet in the basement, please consider removing it. A carpet worsens damage and slows the drying process.

Before a torrential rain storm

• Get someone to check out your home and basement if you are absent.
• Keep doors and windows closed, and use plywood and tape to seal doors and windows.
• If water pours from a drain, use plastic and sandbags to block it.
• Do the same with the toilet.
• Remove items and belongings from the basement floor and store them in plastic containers.

After a torrential rain storm

• Collect as much of your belongings as possible before you file an insurance claim. Do not dump those destroyed and take pictures of them to get indemnification.
• The water is probably polluted, so please, use rubber boots and gloves during the process.
• Pump the water away and dry surfaces with a dehumidifier. If the claim department approves your claim, it will cover the reasonable expenses of dehumidifying.
• Turn on the heat in the basement after the water removal, and ventilate every five minutes until the humidity is gone. You can open windows and doors while you are home.