Floods can be damaging to your home and your wallet. Even if your property isn’t in a high-risk flood zone, seasonal weather and sudden storms can produce hazardous floodwaters that cause structural damage, electrical outages, and other costly harm to your property.
While it’s impossible to thwart Mother Nature and stop floods from happening altogether, you can prepare yourself and implement strategies to help safeguard your home. Whether you are a first-time homebuyer or recently moved to a new area, it’s critical to understand the risks your home faces and what you can do to prevent floods from damaging your property.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through 10 essential tips to increase your home’s defenses against flooding and decrease the likelihood you’ll incur physical, emotional, or financial loss the next time a severe storm enters your zip code.
Defending Your Home Against Flooding
Seasonal floods have always been common across the United States. Coastal regions are at a high risk during hurricane season. The Midwest consistently experiences floods after heavy spring rains, and in the Northwest, ice jams and early-year snowmelt are known to overwhelm rivers and streams. However, floods are now becoming more common and severe than ever before, even in areas outside of FEMA flood zones, according to data from First Street.
In the last 20 years, 99% of U.S. counties have experienced a flood event. As development increases across the country, an increasing number face some risk of flooding from rains, natural disasters, overflowing bodies of water, and escalating storms. But don’t fret. There are several ways you can increase your home’s flood resistance.
1. Evaluate Your Home’s Flood Risk
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) estimates that a single inch of flood water can cause up to $25,000 in damage to a residential home. While every property faces some flood risk, others are at a higher risk given their geographic location, base flood elevation (BFE), and proximity to bodies of water.
The best way to evaluate your home’s flood risk is by studying local flood maps. You can use FEMA’s Flood Map Service Center to search for your address, identify your flood map, appraise your area’s BVE, and account for any local flood hazards that may be present in your home’s vicinity.
2. Floodproof Your Home
Floodproofing is a key factor in lowering your home’s flood risk, especially if you live in a high-risk flood zone. In general, there are two floodproofing strategies: dry and wet.
Dry floodproofing your property: Install a waterproof coating on exterior walls and flood shields to doorways and windows to help prevent floods from entering your home. You can also build a floodwall out of water-tight materials to help prevent floodwater from entering window wells or stairwells and protect indoor utilities.
Wet floodproofing your property: Install flood vents in your home’s crawlspace and basement to allow water to enter and exit during flooding and alleviate pressure. These openings are standard in homes in high-risk flood zones and help reduce the damage flooding can cause to a property.
If you're considering purchasing a home in a high- or moderate-risk flood zone, it's wise to assess each property's floodproofing before making your decision. If you find a property you like that lacks adequate floodproofing, consider getting a contractor’s estimate for the necessary upgrades and factoring this cost into your offer price.
3. Purchase Flood Insurance
According to FEMA, the average homeowner’s chance of experiencing a flood is five times higher than experiencing a house fire. Despite this startling statistic, most standard homeowners insurance policies don’t provide much relief from water damage and other flood-caused consequences.
In many cases, flood insurance could be necessary to safeguard your home. While a flood insurance policy is most important because it provides critical financial relief in the event of a flood, it also offers peace of mind. Having flood insurance can significantly reduce the stress and anxiety that often accompany severe weather events, allowing you to focus on safety rather than worrying about the cost of potential damage.
Flood insurance can also be mandatory depending on your mortgage, home lender, and the severity of your local flood zone. For example, most federally regulated lenders require homeowners to possess flood insurance if their home is in a special flood hazard area (SFHA).
If you are looking to purchase flood insurance, you can contact your insurance company or learn more from FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program.
4. Seal Your Home’s Foundation
A well-sealed foundation is crucial to preventing floodwater from seeping into your home. Even though reputable homebuilders construct home foundations according to engineering requirements, surface cracks can still develop over time. Surface cracks are not detrimental to your home's structural integrity, but you should patch them regularly. Cracks and gaps in your home’s foundation that are left unpatched can allow water to enter, leading to costly damage and extensive repairs.
To seal your home’s foundation, follow these steps:
Inspect: Look for cracks or signs of wear in your foundation. You may need to repeat this step throughout ownership to ensure additional imperfections haven’t appeared.
Use waterproof sealant: Apply a high-quality sealant to the cracks or gaps you find. Waterproof sealant can significantly reduce the likelihood of water penetration during a flood.
Install a drainage system: Consider installing a French drain or other drainage system around your home’s perimeter to divert water from the foundation.
5. Refine Your Landscaping
The landscaping around your home plays a significant role in directing water flow. Poor landscaping, grading, and drainage around driveways and walkways can inadvertently funnel water toward your home, increasing the risk of flooding.
By improving your landscaping, you can increase your defense against floodwaters. Start by considering the grade of your yard. Does it slope toward your home? If so, you may need to regrade your yard so rain and floodwaters run away. Other signs of poor grading include pooling water, soggy soil, dead grass, or moisture in the basement.
Local landscaping professionals can help you regrade your yard by assessing its high and low points, calculating its slope, and adding or removing soil to create a positive grade that funnels water away from your home. Additionally, you can consider installing a rain collection system or planting native plants and shrubs to create a rain garden.
Rain gardens are an inexpensive and beautiful way to reduce runoff and eliminate pooling around your property.
6. Install a Sump Pump
A sump pump installed in your basement or crawlspace can help prevent water build-up inside your home. Sump pumps are essential in flood-prone areas where basement flooding is expected.
After installing a sump pump in your basement, test it periodically to ensure it’s working properly. You can test your sump pump by gathering a bucket of water and pouring it into the sump pit. If the pump starts automatically and the water drains quickly, you’re good to go.
7. Elevate Your Utilities
Elevating your home’s critical utility systems is a proactive way to reduce the potential costs and damages flooding can cause. Consider placing your HVAC units, water heaters, and other essential appliances on raised platforms if you live in a high-risk flood zone.
Depending on your home’s age and design, you may also want to invest in having electrical panels, fuse boxes, outlets, and other components relocated to avoid potential damage from flooding.
8. Clear Your Gutters
While often overlooked, gutters and downspouts are crucial in directing rainwater away from your home. Clogged gutters can cause water to overflow and pool around your foundation, increasing your home’s risk of flooding.
Regularly remove leaves and debris before the rainy season to keep your gutters in top condition. Also, check your gutters for cracks and other signs of wear that could prevent them from functioning properly, and ensure your downspouts extend several feet away from your home’s foundation to direct water safely away from your property.
9. Install Flood Sensors
According to the Insurance Information Institute, one in 50 homeowners files a yearly claim related to water damage or freezing pipes. These damages can quickly get costly, especially when floods, leaks, and standing water go unnoticed.
Flood sensors are an excellent addition to any home flooding prevention strategy. These devices alert you to the presence of water in areas where it shouldn’t be, allowing you to take action before the situation worsens and damages magnify.
Homeowners should install flood sensors in areas most vulnerable to water damage, such as basements, near sump pumps, around water heaters, and in utility rooms. Placing sensors near plumbing fixtures, appliances, and low-lying entry points also helps detect leaks early, providing an essential alert to prevent severe flood damage.
10. Know Your Contractors
When flooding strikes, time is of the essence. Having a reliable contractor on file ensures you can quickly address any damage or necessary repairs. Whether you need immediate floodproofing, foundation repairs, or help with water removal, a trusted contractor can provide prompt and professional assistance.
Consider researching experienced, licensed contractors in your area who specialize in flood damage and prevention before you need them. Look for contractors with positive reviews and ask for references to ensure their reliability and quality of work.
Preventive Actions You Should Take When Flooding Starts
If you’re already experiencing a flood, ensuring you and your family are safe before trying to protect your home is essential. Once, and only once, you and your family are in a safe place, follow these steps to mitigate damage as much as possible:
Turn off the water: If your home is flooding from a burst pipe, overflowing appliance, or another internal source, turn off your water supply immediately.
Shut off circuit breakers: You should only attempt to shut off the electricity to your home if the circuit breaker is in a dry room. If flooding is near the circuit breaker, DO NOT attempt to access it and wait for a professional to turn it off.
Create a flood barrier: Flash floods can happen in an instant. If you have sandbags or a similar item on hand when flooding starts, place them around doorways and windows to try and prevent water from entering your home.
Safeguarding Your Sanctuary
Your home should be a sanctuary where you feel safe and secure, not a source of worry or financial risk. At Century Communities, we understand the importance of protecting your investment from the unpredictable forces of nature. That’s why we design and construct every home in our inventory with a strong focus on flood prevention and storm resilience.
Our commitment to quality begins long before we lay the first brick. Our builders grade every property we offer meticulously according to the specifications of experienced and qualified engineers. This careful grading ensures that your lot is optimized for proper drainage, preventing water from pooling near your foundation or entering your home during heavy rains.
To view our collection of dream homes in your area, use our find your home feature.
Home Flooding FAQs
Why does my house always flood?
If you're consistently dealing with a flooded home, it could be because you're located in a high-risk flood zone, your lot is graded poorly, or your lawn’s drainage system isn’t working correctly. To learn more about your local flood zone, visit FEMA’s Flood Map Service Center. To address your grading and drainage system, contact a qualified landscaper.
How do I make my home flood-resistant?
Start by sealing cracks in your foundation. Next, evaluate the grade of your lot and install a drainage system to divert water away from your home. Finally, install a sump pump and flood sensors in your basement and crawlspace (and other commonly flooded areas) and elevate your utility systems.