Flooding Can Happen Anywhere

4/6/2018 (Permalink)

Just because your property hasn’t experienced a flood in the past does not mean it won’t in the future.

Floods are one of the most common and widespread natural disasters in the United States. And we’ve had our fair share here in Snohomish County. Whether your home or business is near the coastline, along city streets, in the mountains or near a river—there is always potential for flood damage. Fema.gov reports, in the last 5 years, all 50 states have experienced floods or flash floods.

According to the National Weather Service (NOAA), “Approximately seventy-five percent of all Presidential disaster declarations are associated with flooding.” NOAA lists the most common flood hazards in the United States as:

• 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

Just because your property hasn’t experienced a flood in the past does not mean it won’t in the future. In fact, nearly 20% of all flood insurance claims come from moderate-to-low risk areas, and even just one inch of flood damage in an average home can cost you up to $27,000*. On average, floods cost $3.5 billion in annual losses in the U.S., and commercial flood claims average more than $75,000 (NFIP).

According to the American Red Cross, floods cause more damage in the U.S. every year than any other weather related disaster. The American Red Cross offers the following flood safety tips.

• Stay away from floodwaters. If you come up on a flowing stream where water is above your ankles, stop, turn around, and go another way. Six inches of swiftly moving water can sweep you off of your feet.
• If you approach a flooded road while driving, turn around and go another way. If you are caught on a flooded road and waters are rising rapidly around you, get out of the car quickly and move to higher ground. Most cars can be swept away by less than two feet of moving water.
• Keep children out of the water. They are curious and often lack judgment about running water or contaminated water.

For more flood safety tips check out this great article from The Everett Herald. Also, take a look at Snohomish Country’s Real-Time Flood Information System to see what the current river level and rainfall depth data is in our area.

When catastrophic water damage happens to you, SERVPRO of North Everett/ Lake Stevens/ Monroe can help. We can help you prepare ahead of time with an Emergency Ready Profile (ERP), or respond to any size disaster to begin cleanup and restoration to get your property back to normal as soon as possible.

At SERVPRO of North Everett/ Lake Stevens/ Monroe we are ready to help make it “Like it never even happened.” Give us a call at 360-243-8313.

*Facts and figures provided by fema.gov and the National Weather Service (NOAA)