Flood-Ready Homes: How To Prepare
Last Updated: Feb 2, 2025In 2017, Hurricane Harvey descended upon Houston, Texas, and dropped record amounts of rains for several days. By the time the skies cleared up, over 135,000 homes had suffered severe flood damage. About 80 percent of those homeowners were without flood insurance to protect the investment in their homes.
As global climate change continues to lead to more severe weather events, the probability of the mythical "1,000-year flood" becomes a likelihood that many people might experience not just once but several times during their lifetime.
Little can be done to protect a home situated in a massive flood plain when a storm like Hurricane Harvey hits. But, sustainable housing strategies can help homeowners protect their homes from flooding through specific design strategies. Below, we look at a few different ways to build a flood-ready home that will limit your vulnerability to flooding damage.
Table of Contents
- Know Your Elevation
- What Measures Can You Take To Protect From Floods?
- Bottom Line
Know Your Elevation
The first step in protecting your home from flooding events is to know the elevation where your home sits. Even if the nearest river, creek, or other body of water sits several miles from your home, it is advisable to look up the flood level of your nearby watershed. Why? The flood level measures how high waters could potentially reach during an extreme flood event.
Most areas around the country will deny new building permits to homes located within flood zones. Also, people trying to sell their homes are legally required to disclose flood zone information to potential buyers. Nonetheless, you can check free online flood zone maps at FEMA's website here. You can also find a map provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to discover the frequency of flood events, by county, across the entire United States. You can sign up for free text messages or emails provided by the USGS's WaterAlert system. This system will let you know when a stream or river in your home's vicinity is rising to dangerous flood levels. In Canada, FloodSmart provides links to flood maps in each province.
Levees and Floodwalls
Homes that are at risk for continued flooding, installing levees or floodwalls are effective protection strategies. These flood control options can include swing-hinged flood gates at the entrance to a raised property, including driveways or walkways. Flood Ark provides aluminum frames with removable UPVC boards that can be quickly assembled to offer needed protection during a flood event.
Bottom Line
Flood damage is the most common and costly event affecting homes across the country. Protect Yourself! Know your flood level. Protect the electrical equipment and installations in and around your home. Change the way you deal with stormwater on your property and protecting your home from sewer backups. You have the power to significantly reduce the likelihood of having your home affected by flooding.
Tobias Roberts
Tobias runs an agroecology farm and a natural building collective in the mountains of El Salvador. He specializes in earthen construction methods and uses permaculture design methods to integrate structures into the sustainability of the landscape.
