Proactive Flood Disaster Management
An article published by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in August of 2023 is titled “July 2023 Brought Record-High Temperatures, Devasting Floods across the US.” The article states, “Since 1980, the US has sustained 363 separate weather and climate disasters where overall damages/costs reached or exceeded $1 billion (including CPI adjustment to 2023). The total cost of these 363 events exceeds $2.590 trillion.”
The article shows a picture of central Vermont, where I grew up, and a paddleboarder floating down the main street. The loss of revenue and income from the flood was all over social media as employers and employees were out of business or the lucky ones able to collect a paycheck were helping clean and repair in hopes of opening businesses sooner than others. NOAA has other recent articles, such as “US High Tide Flooding Continues to Break Records,” starting the article with, “Coastal communities in eight locations along the East and West coasts experienced record high tide flooding last year—a trend that is expected to continue in 2024. For many communities, the expected strengthening of El Nino will bring even more high tide flood days.”
Flooding incidents have already occurred this year in Florida, Tennessee, and San Diego, California, and as I write this blog, California is bracing for widespread flooding now in the San Francisco area. Although there is nothing you can do to stop weather events, you can take precautionary methods yourself or make recommendations to others to be proactive. Flood damage goes way beyond the destruction of property. It affects income, jobs, wages, and health and retirement benefits without some form of assistance. Assistance from the Department of Labor or other local agencies requires an application process and the financial means to wait for approval and receipt of benefits. The last thing employers and employees want to do is fill out more forms.
Trusted Solutions for Construction Flood Prevention
If you would like to be proactive with flood zone preparedness, flood disaster management, and acquiring the best flood coverage while lowering your flood deductibles and obtaining better sub-limits, then an expert resource to go to is Flood Risk America. The CEO of Flood Risk America, Stephen Gill, has over twenty years of experience specializing in flood prevention services for commercial and residential properties. He, his COO, Tiffany Largey, and their team are located twenty miles north of my office in Lake Worth, Florida.
Exercising Proactiveness for Possible Flood Disasters
The Flood Risk America team works with owners, developers, architects, and general contractors who want to be proactive with flood assessments and products in the design, development, and building process that save significant costs while integrating products into the design that offer optimum flood protection and help with insurance premiums. Owners and property management firms gain not only significant savings for existing assets on their ever-increasing insurance premiums but also peace of mind, knowing they have done everything possible to protect those under their roof from unnecessary loss of business.
A Trusted Resource to Help You with Flood Protection
The case studies on FRA’s site include one from Swire Properties, one from the Ritz Carlton Residences, and another from a luxury homeowner. Reading the Google reviews, they include those like Edwin Gonzalez’s 5-star review a month ago that says, “They have helped me with three of my hotels, and I intend to use them for all coastal properties that I purchase. Very good at customizing for our boutique properties.”
And Mike Gill’s, which says, “Flood Risk America (FRA) exceeded our expectations, delivering on time and on budget, as promised. FRA’s product offerings definitely met our State and Federal specifications while providing the safety and structural integrity our client’s demand. Make the right choice for your business.”
Turnkey Flood Protection Services for Commercial Buildings, including a Full Flood Product Offering
In addition to commercial and residential flood protection services, Flood Risk America has turnkey services offering a variety of products to protect your home or business from flooding because of hurricanes, torrential rainstorms, and wind-driven hail. The solutions are customized to your property with the expertise of flood prevention professionals. Their products are American-made, are FM-approved, have Florida Product Approval, and are endorsed by Chubb Insurance company. The weight of their FRA panel product stands out also at only 4 lb. per sq. ft., whereas some other products on the market can be more than ten times the weight. The FRA panels are easy to deploy and install; if you employ your own installers, you save installation costs, and they aid in the safety of those installing the products as no forklift is needed. The panels are available in a variety of colors, withstand 13,000 PSI, and hold a lifetime warranty.
Flood Risk America prides itself on the fact that its custom-fabricated panels are the only flood protection panels that can mold around uneven surfaces and unmovable objects or cater to your design preferences. Different angles, degrees, and meeting the décor and design of the building are not an issue when choosing the FRA products.
When purchasing FRA’s products, construction services are inclusive of:
- Flood-proofing certificate
- Sealed shop drawings
- Emergency action plan
- Flood maintenance plan
- Engineering calculations
- Consulting at all stages of the project, including pre-construction and design phase
On the moneygeek website, some key take-aways regarding flooding are:
- Flooding is the most common natural disaster in the US.
- Floods make up 7.8% of the costs to repair damage caused by natural disasters.
- Job suspension and loss: “If a disaster affects a small area, you may be able to return to work within a few days. If it affects your whole community, you could be out of work for weeks. In the worst case, your employer may never be able to do business in the community again, and you’ll be left without a job for an indefinite amount of time.”
The fact is if you are responsible for protecting a property from flooding, and you do, you are a hero when a flooding disaster strikes. Why? Because you thought beyond today to help others tomorrow have a work or personal home to thrive and survive in. Is it worth a call to you to reduce your construction costs, increase your property value, cut insurance costs, and save jobs? Stephen and Tiffany can get you started.
Although we have the promise that the world won’t be destroyed in a flood again, we don’t have that assurance with individual properties.
