Natural disasters can cause enormous amounts of damage to the environment as well as the infrastructure of several businesses and offices in the area. This is especially true if a flood hits a metropolitan area where the consequences are way higher compared to rural areas.

In order to handle these unpredictable events, it is important for business owners and managers to put mitigation strategies into place.

Let’s look into a few flood mitigation strategies that can help business owners take control if ever needed in the future:

Assessing Flood Risks

The first step needs to be evaluating and assessing the vulnerabilities of the building and its structure. You have to understand which areas are most at risk if a flood is to ever hit the building. It is important to note down underground areas such as underground parking, basements, inventory warehouses etc that may be at high risk if a flood is to ever occur. Assessing these areas can help you mitigate the risk and save enormous piles of bills for restructuring and repairing.

Choosing The Correct Mitigation Techniques

Once you have evaluated the risk of the water surge brought in by the flood, you have to highlight the available flood mitigation strategies so that they can be successfully implemented.

The most common floodproofing mitigation strategies include dry floodproofing, wet floodproofing, building elevation, building relocation, floodwalls, and drainage system reconstruction.

Let’s take a look at these mitigation strategies in detail:

Building Relocation

If you choose building relocation as a strategy, then the correct measure is to look for a site in an area that is not marked as a flood zone. Ideally, a building in an elevated area would be much better compared to a lower one because that increases the risk of the water surge, making water extraction also an incredibly tedious and difficult process.

Wet Floodproofing

Wet floodproofing is a general approach used by many as a mitigation strategy. It allows the floodwater to enter the property. However, critical areas such as equipment are floodproofed which reduce the damage caused by the flooding.

This process also includes installing flood-proof doors that can divert the floodwater towards the basement to keep other rooms dry. These rooms could be the ones containing equipment or important inventory which you cannot afford to get wet.

All essential equipment such as fuel, electrical, and other safety systems need to be relocated in order to be saved from the flood. This can be done by installing elevated platforms or relocating them to a higher floor in the building.

Dry Floodproofing

If you choose the dry floodproofing method, it may cost more than wet floodproofing, but in turn, the flood water will not be allowed to enter the property. In this method, the exterior areas of the building are floodproofed such as sealing all the openings including doors, windows, vents, and utility entrances.

Other than this, dry floodproofing also includes the installation of interior drainage collection systems so that it becomes a primary barrier between the exterior walls and the floodwater.

Drainage System Reconstruction

This particular method allows for the building’s drainage system to be reconstructed in a way through which they discharge the seepage further away from the foundation of the building. This reduces the pressure of the floodwater from below the basement slab making it safer for the building or property.

Flood Walls

Floodwalls are protective walls used to keep the floodwater away from the building. If the flood walls are correctly placed, they can stop the floodwater from entering the property through any isolated openings. This also saves the cost of waterproofing the exterior of the building, which can be quite costly.

What’s great about floodwalls is that they can resist the waves brought in by the flood and are temporary placements. This means that they do not have to stand a barrier around the building all year round.

All of these mitigation strategies can help you contain the risks and costs involved in a time when a natural disaster such as a flood occurs.

Protect Your Offices & Buildings With 911 Restoration

Protecting your office or building can be a tough job especially without professional help. With the help of 911 Restoration experts, you can easily mitigate the impact of natural disasters such as floods in Northern Houston.

Their expert team can help you assess the risks and vulnerabilities in your building so that you can put your preventative measures into place. Apart from risk assessment services, 911 Restoration also offers water damage restoration and flood repair services that can help you get your business running in no time.

No disaster is too big or small for 911 Restoration because of their experience and skills in this line of work. You can opt for their water damage restoration, mold removal, and flood repair services 24/7 365 days a year!