Urbanization is good. Paved roads, tall buildings, better industrial, commercial and even residential real estates. Urban planners project growth when areas are urbanized and developed. All is well since most often than not, cities grow, businesses flourish, people generally become happy.

But there’s one thing that urban planners despite their experience fail to anticipate (or do they just ignore it?), drainage systems. It can be a small thing but when water runoffs begin to surge in, a huge disaster can easily happen when such a small thing is left unchecked.

Local building codes, national regulation and building policies dictate that urban planners should take into account a kind of sustainable management of surface water into their urban drainage system plans. So many cities, towns and communities in the US have had to deal with floods due to urbanization.

Changing land use is seen as one of the culprit. By constructing roads, buildings and houses on lands that once contain a variety of vegetation increases the amount of runoff waters to streams during rainfalls or snowmelts. Not to mention the artery of drainage systems beneath the urban cities all lead excess water to nearby streams. With the excess runoff going into only a few streams, overflowing is inevitable and flooding is only a matter of time.

Moreover, land use development sometimes changes stream channels in favor of bigger buildings and wider paved roads. This move can definitely limit the stream’s capacity to hold flood waters or runoffs. Furthermore, if urban developers perform constructions in already flood prone areas, the already high flood risk area would only increase affecting as well the newly constructed buildings and or any improvements that have been introduced in the area.

With an already limited storage capacity, streams will not be able to handle the volume of water coming from rainfall and snowmelt. However, aside from land use other factors that affect stream channel changes and water volume capacity include geology, topography, basin size and shape, and storm patterns. It has been observed that urbanization has a greater effect over small stream basins than bigger ones.

Smaller basins are more likely to loose most of its original vegetation and will likely have drastic changes in their network of water channels compared to bigger basins. This susceptibility of smaller basins makes it even more a important that urban engineers carefully take into account their existence and incorporate them in their planning.

Urban planners should gather complete and accurate information regarding stream flow and determine how the present land use affects the flow of the water in and around the area. This way they can help find solutions to reduce current or future flooding in the areas.

The full effects of urban development can be felt during moderate storms that follow periods of dry spells. The run offs from the rainfall could turn regular runoffs into flash floods.

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The answer isn’t always Yes.

Despite the seeming necessity of using flood proofing techniques, there are a number of factors that you first need to take into serious consideration before you decide on which flood proofing technique you need to employ.

In a nutshell, flood proofing depends on the individual property owners’ financial situation, lifestyle, the severity of the flooding problem in their area, and how they will utilize the property that is being affected by the flood as well as after whatever resulting improvements the flood proofing techniques will have. Each flood proofing technique also provides different levels of protection which is also relative to individuals, area, and flooding problems.

First thing that you should do is find out if the local government or any agency in your area is providing financial assistance for flood proofing improvements in your properties. Areas that are frequented with floods often have groups giving a helping hand in terms of financial assistance or in kind like construction supplies, seminars, lectures, and information materials.

Second is to study local building codes to see if any improvements that you are  planning to make in accordance to setting up a chosen flood proofing measure is neither illegal nor does not comply with current standards. It is very counter productive and a waste of investment if you find out later that the project cannot continue because the structure does not comply with current building code standards.

A very important factor is the cost. Ideally the property owner should hire someone or carefully determine a rough estimate of the cost of the flood proofing project. And this means choosing and evaluating carefully the capabilities of various contractors. Look for a contract before construction begins. It’s good to have everything in black and white. After the completion of the project, carefully inspect the structures before handing over the final payment.

Another issue that you might want to consider is the fact that your house or property might look strange or weird after flood proofing techniques has been set up. You might need to hire a decent architect to ensure that the design of the flood proofing measures is well integrated to the design of  your properties.

When assessment of the property results to a conclusion that any flood proofing measures would prove to be impractical, the only thing that remains for a property owner is to apply emergency flood protection measures. There are experts on this kind of flood protection and with the right implementation, one can provide basic protection to their properties.

However, emergency measures of flood protection rely heavily on early flood warning announcements. Part of the emergency measures procedure is relocating furniture and electronic equipment that can be reached by flood waters to an area that will keep them dry and away from the damaging waters. Enough warning could also help property owners to prepare for floods by boarding up or placing sandbags around the windows and doors.

Again, don’t be hasty with regards to basic flood proofing solutions. You need to think things through.

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Much like fire proofing or child proofing you homes, flood proofing is the process of incorporating changes to your home and/or properties to ensure that potential damages from floods would be reduced if not totally prevented. Sometimes, you need to put matters into your own hands and not wait for the eventful day to come and leave everything to chance.

When do we need to flood proof our home? Here’s a hint, if your area has been hit by a major flash flood at least once, it would be best to think of ways to protect your home, properties and yourself when the incident repeats itself and trust me, it will.

Flood waters may not come today, tomorrow or even next year, but areas that have experienced flooding before is more likely to experience it again and again. Floods occur because of a variety of reasons. The area may not have sufficient drainage to keep the water going during torrential rains. Your property may be located in a natural basin, at the bottom of a hill, a mountain or a cliff, where flash floods often occur. The soil in your area may not be the fast absorbing type allowing water to stay over long periods. Or you may be situated in an urban environment where buildings, roads and houses have blocked all the natural water ways causing excess water to build up ending in meter deep floods.

Generally there three ways to flood proof your home, raising the whole structure above ground, creating barriers to stop floodwaters from entering your property or homes, and the process known as wet flood proofing. Not all techniques is applicable to your situation. Determining which one would be the best way to prevent flood damage. You will have to conduct studies like soil analysis, consider topography, the type of flood that hits your area, local building codes, and, of course, the costs.

Raising your house above flood levels, for example, need careful consideration since it can really be costly especially if the house to be elevated is made from heavier materials. Moreover, raising or constructing another story which is above the flood level can put some strain on the existing foundation. One must be positively sure that the existing foundation can carry the weight of an elevated house and the pressure from floodwaters.

Another technique could be less expensive like constructing barriers to stop floodwaters from reaching and damaging your properties. One could create standing barriers such as berms, levees, or floodwalls which prevents and redirects water away from your homes.

The third general technique for flood proofing your home is the so-called wet flood proofing. This technique entails that you create a structure within your home which allows water to come in preventing other areas of the house of being flooded. The structural integrity of your house needs to be considered here especially when you are allowing potentially damaging floodwaters into a base structure of your home.

But if all these water proofing techniques seem to inadequate, unusable, or simple cannot be done, one more option remains. And that option is relocation.

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We all know that floods are extremely dangerous and can cause a lot of damage to our homes, communities and even to human lives. A number of flood victims have received superficial to fatal injuries due to negligence, at times due to their stubbornness, but most of the times because of their ignorance on basic flood safety. We can never stress enough the importance of keeping yourself informed in these kinds of situations. Planning ahead is also a vital key to protect not only yourself from injuries but your loved ones and properties as well.

The following are some basic facts that you should know about floods. Some address flood safety directly while others contain general tips on what to do before, during, and after floods.

Flowing flood water is dangerous
Here’s a tip: when you see that flood waters are flowing or moving, don’t attempt to walk through. You don’t know how swift the flood water is moving or how swift it would still get, so avoid crossing moving floodwaters altogether. A mere six inches of swiftly moving flood waters can easily knock you off your feet and can drown you in an instant. Risks of facing such situations are higher during flash floods. When cases where it is absolutely necessary to walk through floodwaters, use a stick or pole to test if the water is moving or not.

Avoid driving through floods
Just like walking through floodwaters, driving through flooded areas is a also a dangerous practice. Two feet of moving floodwaters can render your vehicle useless and can sweep you car easily. It may not be comforting to hear, but most people who drowned during floods drowned inside their cars. Also, floodwaters can easily hide road barriers, potholes, open man holes, etc. which can immobilize your car or cause some serious damage to your vehicle.

Avoid areas with drowned power lines and electrical wires
As you very well know, electricity travels well through water. Sadly, electrocution remains to be a common reason for fatalities during floods. You need to report submerged power lines to your local power company so they can immediately cut down the power in that area. The same goes with your home. Be sure to shut down all electrical circuits or main switches in your house.

Keep a keen eye on the streets
When you’re walking on a flooded area, be sure to walk slowly and carefully. Aside from the fact that floodwater depth can be very deceptive, floods can easily cover road obstructions. You don’t want to fall down into an open manhole especially in a flood.

Keep an eye for boulders, trees, debris, etc.
Floodwaters, especially during flash floods can carry a variety of debris including parts of houses, rocks, trees, and even small animals. These objects can entangle you or cause injuries that can result to you drowning in the flood waters. Look out for snakes since they are known to be good swimmers.

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