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Seven ways to gear your property up to weather the storm

With the weather being extremely gloomy in recent weeks, everyone has been compelled to make a few readjustments to their homes, cars and personal valuables.
Seven ways to gear your property up to weather the storm

The dreadful images of cars that were damaged by floods caused a stir and while lives were spared, the aftermath resulting from the storm left some people devastated.

The heavy rainfall could be an indication that the worst is yet to come, and therefore it is indispensable to prepare in advance. Here are a few tips to help you secure your home, its contents and vehicles from possible flood damage:

  • Know your risk! When shopping for a house, one of the important things to enquire about would be whether or not the area is a known flood area. If you aren’t certain about your current area, find out ASAP.
  • Find the problem areas. Identify areas within or around your property that could pool and flood your home. Once these have been identified, you can put the right flood-damage preventative measures into place.
  • Keep it clean. If you have any storm water infrastructure on your property or the road around you, it would be wise to check these regularly and make sure that they are clean of any debris that could prevent them from serving their purpose. Contact the municipality if you find that the municipal storm water drains near your home are blocked.
  • From the gutters to the rooftops… Regular checks will ensure that your gutters and drain pipes are all clear and ready to report for duty when the rains fall. Clean these out, together with the drain entrances and other water-related apparatus that drain water away from areas where it may pool. Check your roof to identify any possible leak spots before it’s too late.
  • Seal up any points with water resistant material so that they don’t end up as leaks when the storms hit. If you can, build a protective wall to stop water from reaching sensitive belongings such as electrical equipment etc.
  • Relocate… not yourself but rather your belongings. Make sure that your sensitive equipment is as high up from the ground as functionally possible. When floods hit, the highest point is the safest point.
  • Anchor what you can. Where possible, provide anchorage for any items that could become floating debris when hit by fast flowing water. Creating a form of resistance doesn’t only prevent stuff from floating away and going missing; it also ensures that they don’t cause further damage to other structures as they float away.

Another way to help you keep abreast of imminent storms is by signing up for warning notifications supplied by reputable sources, such as the SA Weather Bureau. Essentially, it could prove to be cost effective for you to take out vehicle and home insurance covers to ensure your peace of mind.

25 Oct 2016 15:34

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