Flooding Can Happen Anywhere

3/7/2019 (Permalink)

Flooding photo courtesy of the National Weather Service.

Did you know all 50 states have experienced floods or flash floods in the last five years? That’s according to floodsmart.gov. The National Weather Service (NWS) says flooding is one of the most common and widespread natural disasters in the United States.

Flooding can happen anywhere, even if you don’t live in a flood zone, or on a body of water, a flood can hit your home or business and cause serious damage.

According to the NWS, about 75% of all Presidential disaster declarations are associated with flooding. The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) says floods cost $3.5 billion in annual losses nationwide each year, with commercial flood claims averaging more than $75,000.

Long story short: floods happen a lot, causing a lot of damage, costing a lot of money.

And like we said earlier, you can experience flooding even if you’re in a “low-risk” area. That’s because there are many different flood hazards that exist. The NWS lists the following hazards:

• Flash Flooding
• River Flooding
• Storm Surge and Coastal Inundation from Tropical and Non-Tropical Systems
• Burn Scars/Debris Flows (Caused by Wildfires)
• Ice/Debris Jams
• Snowmelt
• Dry Wash (Caused by heavy rainfall in dry areas)
• Dam Breaks/Levee Failure

Obviously, we don’t face all those hazards here in the Green Bay area. We do face some of them though, and spring is a notoriously bad time for flooding around here.

So, Team SERVPRO of West Brown County advises homeowners out there to be aware that flooding is possible and take steps to prevent it.

We advise the same for business owners. Our team is also able to go a step further for businesses by performing an Emergency READY Profile, or ERP, to ensure your commercial property is “Ready for whatever happens,” including flooding.

Call us any time with questions about flooding, water loss restoration and ERP’s at 920-434-8224.