What is a Flood?
Flood damage is an issue that affects millions of people every year. Flooding is not only a serious health risk, but also can severely damage unprotected homes and property.
There’s no easy way to protect against flooding but by understanding what it is and the sort of damage it can cause, you can start to learn how to prevent a lot of damage, or limit the amount of damage it causes.
What is a flood?
In the majority of cases a flood can be defined as a general and temporary condition resulting from water overflows from rivers, the ocean or other bodies of water and covers landmass that is not traditionally submerged by water.
The European Union Floods Directive defines a flood as a covering by water of land that is not normally covered by water.
Flooding may be the result of a number of extenuating circumstances, including:
- Heavy rain
- Monsoons
- Hurricanes
- Storm surges caused by tropical cyclones
- Tsunamis
- Accidental damage including burst pipes etc.
- Fast melting snow
Many countries worldwide are susceptible to the risk of flooding and although most major cities have flood defence systems, homes and businesses located by the coast are at the greatest risk of flood damage.
What are the effects of flooding?
Flooding has a range of negative effects on both people and the environment.
Aside from the possible suffocation risks, water can also damage any type of structure including bridges, cars, buildings, roadways and sewerage systems. As a result, transport links can be destroyed, making it difficult to get emergency aid to those who may need it.
Flooding causes a range of health problems. Water supplies can become contaminated and unhygienic conditions can cause the spread of water-borne diseases such as cholera. Not only that, but flood damage can also kill food crops and it is not unknown for entire crop harvests to be destroyed by flood damage.
Economic hardship is another side-effect of flooding. The cost of flooding damage can be massive: the current average yearly cost of flooding to the UK is £1.2 billion.
Although flooding can cause a lot of harm, it can also be beneficial. For example, until the Aswan Dam was completed in 1970, the Nile River flooded every year. The flooding brought vital nutrients to the agricultural land along the river and without the floods crops wouldn’t have grown there would have been mass famine.
What can be done to prevent flood damage?
People living in a flood-prone area should always be prepared for the possibility of a flood. Elevating and reinforcing a home against flooding is one of the first steps that should be taken to protect against flood damage.
If your living area is susceptible to flooding damage you should elevate electrical equipment out of the reach of potential flood waters. It is also a good idea to seal the walls of your basement with waterproofing compounds to prevent seepage.
In the short term, the best form of action to take is to construct barriers such as floodwalls to prevent water from entering your property in the first place.
Floodwater can enter a property through a variety of routes including:
- Seepage through cable holes and external walls
- Backflow through sewerage pipes, which can discharge through toilets and sinks
- Around closed doorways
- Up through the ground floor
The most important thing is to prepare by installing flood prevention products in advance, otherwise the water damage repairs bill could be huge.
Cleaning up flood damage
Flood damage restoration and cleaning can be a slow and laborious process. There are also a number of hazards associated with the cleanup process as well.
Because flood disaster sites are unstable, clean-up workers could encounter dangers such as sharp debris, living remains, biological hazards, exposed electrical lines, as well as a whole host of others.
If you experience flooding in your own home, it’s important to remove as much of the moisture and humidity from the property as possible. There are significant health risks associated with standing water and wet materials as they are a breeding ground for microorganisms such as viruses, bacteria, and mold. These factors can cause disease and continue to damage the interior of your property long after the flooding has occurred.
Useful resources
Flood and Water Damage
The Ideal Group has over 10 years of experience in dealing with all types of water damage. All our technicians are trained in clean water, grey water, and black water flooding.
Claim Management
We have over 10 years experience of insurance claim repairs. We turn our estimates around quickly and we communicate thoroughly with you and liaise with your insurance company to get things resolved.
Covered for a Disaster
It is without doubt the case for most homeowners that their property is the biggest asset that they have, therefore it is important to safeguard it from any disasters that might occur.
