Planning for flood prevention is simple when you know the proper ways to protect your apartment complex from flooding. Start prepping your apartment community by educating residents on protecting their units and what to do if a flood ever happens.
Provide Residents With Information on Flooding
One of the ways to ensure your residents know how to protect their apartment unit from flooding is to provide them with an information packet. Upon signing a lease, giving residents packets on what things they can add to doors, windows, and floors is beneficial so families know how to protect their home’s interior.
Along with their welcome packet, provide information on disaster preparation, shelter locations if there is no basement, and what items to store in an emergency kit. This information will keep families protected in the event of any severe weather conditions.
Monitor Updates From Your Local Weather Channel
Even if your apartment community has state-of-the-art equipment to protect your tenants, monitoring weather updates is still a good idea. Monitoring and reporting potential inclement weather saves tenants time prepping their home for disaster.
Stay updated by listening to the weather channel on the radio or watching it on TV. Additionally, if your apartment community is along the coast, notify your residents as soon as possible so they can take the appropriate measures to evacuate safely. If anyone cannot evacuate, inform EMS so they can help transport others out of the building.
Add Preventative Measures To Control Flooding
Find ways to prevent flooding and control the amount of water that may pool in the hallways, laundry room, and ground levels. Start by inspecting your floor level—if there is a basement, analyze and seal any cracks or holes in the walls to prevent leaks. Other areas of an apartment complex heavily affected by rainwater are utility closets and laundry rooms.
If you’re reworking your current commercial laundry room layout and design, one of the things you must consider is how water drains out of the room. Add drains to prevent pooling from faulty pipework and bad weather.
Insure Your Apartment Building
Flood insurance is the best protection for yourself and your tenants so that you can get reimbursed for any damages. Consult with your insurance provider on the steps you need to take to obtain a separate insurance policy for your apartment complex.
Landlords need to know how to protect their apartment buildings from flooding. Keep floods out of your apartment building by providing prevention details to your tenants, maintaining the building itself, and obtaining flood insurance coverage.
