Fighting the Flood

High water at Grand Lake reach the steps
to this deck in Grove earlier this month.

Fighting the Flood

Flood-Friendly Improvements and Repairs for Your Grand Lake Home

By Peggy Kiefer-Steed & Dezirea Burnett

Water levels on Grand Lake have continued to go down in recent days, and finally past the 750 ft. mark. As of 10 am Friday morning, the lake level was 748.49, still 9.49 feet above full pool of 739.

So far, the flooding has claimed dozens of properties, rendering some uninhabitable while others remain simply marred by debris.

According to Markwayne Mullin’s website, 27 counties in Oklahoma have been designated for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Individual Assistance: Alfalfa, Canadian, Craig, Creek, Delaware, Garfield, Kay, Kingfisher, Logan, Mayes, Muskogee, Okmulgee, Osage, Ottawa, Pawnee, Payne, Pottawatomie, Rogers, Sequoyah, Tulsa, Wagoner, Washington, and Woods.                         

FEMA has set up a table at Lowes in Grove to provide information and booklets on how the organization can help those affected by the flooding. FEMA assistance applications are also available on-site.

To apply for FEMA assistance, call the hotline at 800-621-3362. It’s open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. CT, 7 days a week. You can also go to disasterassistance.gov or use FEMA’s mobile app to apply.

To be eligible for a grant, property damage must have happened because of the disaster event and during the disaster period.

Before applying for federal aid, consult with your insurance agents about your options. Insurance payouts are typically higher than FEMA assistance.

The Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner can help with any insurance questions www.oid.ok,gov or 1-800-522-0071.

No two cases are the same so don’t be discouraged from applying because someone else did or did not get assistance. If you sustained damage, you should apply for assistance.

The deadline to apply is Wednesday, July 31.

Though some Grand Lake residents may choose to forego rebuilding and repairs when lake levels return to normal, homeowners should be aware that flood-friendly materials and reconstruction options are available.

Beyond helping to prevent similar damage in the future, such improvements and repairs can also help improve resale potential should owners choose to list their homes later.

Home Elevation

The most visually obvious option for retrofitting, or making flood-preventative changes to an existing property, is to elevate the structure.

According to the FEMA Homeowner’s Guide to Retrofitting this can be achieved through four methods: creating an enclosure between the structure and the foundation through which water can flow; lifting the foundation to rest on piers, piles or posts; removing the roof of the home and building a new floor on top of it; or moving items from the lowest floor of a home to upper levels.

Depending on whether the home is on a slab-on-grade foundation, open foundation or has a basement or crawl space, home elevation can be costly.

However, this retrofitting option often reduces premiums for flood insurance and greatly reduces the risk of property damage to things like furniture, electronics and other valuables. Providing an open space for free water flow also eliminates the need for extensive cleanup and repairs following subsequent flood events.

Wet Floodproofing

It may sound counterproductive, but wet floodproofing actually allows floodwaters to enter uninhabited areas of a home such as the basement or attached garage.

Wet floodproofing requires homeowners to add openings in the walls of flood spaces to allow water to enter and exit the rooms, as well as designate a space on an upper level to which utility systems and appliances, like a washer and dryer, can be relocated.

This process also involves installing pumps to remove standing water once lake levels return to normal and replacing all non-flood damage-resistant building materials with those designed to protect against prolonged exposure to moisture.

Such materials for structural elements include concrete, brick face, cement board and pressure-treated plywood. Wet floodproofing-approved materials for finished walls, floors and ceilings include metal cabinets; ceramic, clay and porcelain tiles; and epoxy-based paints.

This retrofitting method helps equalize pressure caused by water flowing into and out of the home, thus reducing loads on walls and floors, and is generally less expensive than home elevation.

Wet floodproofing also leaves properties with a functional space for use after flood waters subside.

Homeowners considering this option should have their home’s structural integrity checked by a licensed engineer or design professional, and ensure their home is eligible for wet floodproofing under their community’s floodplain management regulations.

Resale Benefits

When listing a home, property owners are required by law to disclose if their listing is in located in a recognized flood plain. They are also required to report any knowledge of property damage caused by flooding.

Being able to combat these disclosures with flood-conscious home features can be significant to making the sale, especially if prospective buyers are also looking at neighboring properties without flood plans.

Home elevation, wet floodproofing and cosmetic prevention efforts, such as installing permanent or removeable shields on doors and windows, applying additional layers of brick to the home’s exterior, can also increase property values.