Tuesday, January 08, 2008

What To Do In Case Of Flood- Must Know Facts

By John Paige

Floods can not be stopped or avoided, and if your home is located in a flood zone area, there is really nothing you can do except to take measures to minimize the possible damage or destruction of your property. You can also expect that when your house is located in a flood zone area, it will increase your flood zone insurance premium.

Insurance providers charge higher premiums in high-risk areas, even as much as three times higher than for those policy holders whose houses are located in low-risk areas. If you do not want to move to another location, then you have to bear the high flood insurance premiums.

Faced with the fact of higher premiums, you might feel helpless, but you are not. Talk to your insurance provider. He or she should be able to give you lots of tips on how to safeguard your home and belongings. These safeguards might even be able to lower your premiums. It is crucial for you to take these security measures, and get adequate coverage for your home and the contents therein. Think about all the hard work that went into buying your home and your possessions, and think of the things you have that money could not replace. It is never easy to deal when these things are damaged or destroyed in a flood.

When there is a flood warning, take all safeguarding measures that you have ample time to do. Do not, however, put your life or the lives of others at risk to save your home or your stuff. No matter how valuable your belongings, no matter how much life insurance you have, nothing is worth giving your life for. Things can be replaced, your life can not.

First of all, be sure that your flood insurance and other important documents are at hand. Also make sure you have the emergency line numbers ready because if things get worse, you can not possibly swim around your house looking for lost numbers and papers. If you have sandbags ready, you can protect the doors inside your house with them. You can also push furniture and other electrical items to higher parts of your house if you still have enough time to do so.

If water floods your house, do not by any means attempt to leave your house. It may be too dangerous and the current may sweep you away. You can move up to the higher floor of the house. If you live in a high risk area, you should have an emergency pack ready which contains some dry clothes, toiletry essentials, medicines, emergency phone numbers, torch, a flask with hot drinks and important documents.

When your home is flooded, do not waste a minute to turn off the main switch of the electricity. Think of your safety and do not use electrical sources of heat near the flood water. As soon as the flood water subsides, do not wade your way across the sodden floors and start redecorating. That is your least priority for the moment.

If you would like more information about high-risk flood ares, you can call the National Flood Warning Centre at 01276 454 725 or go to www.environment.agency.gov.uk and www.homecheck.co.uk on the web.

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