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.
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