| So, you are a homeowner in a flood prone area or are | | | | operate: |
| have been alerted that a flood disaster may be | | | | *Sump Pump 1/3 hp |
| coming to your community. Most of you are already | | | | 800 watts |
| familiar with protection efforts if you live near one of | | | | 1300-2900 starting |
| these areas. For those of you not familiar with this | | | | *Sump Pump 1/2 hp |
| process, here are some recommendations to make | | | | 1050 watts |
| your home safe: | | | | 2150-4100 starting |
| 1. Determine if you are in a risk area. Check out your | | | | 3. Even if you are not in a flood plain area, take steps |
| counties local flood plain map to determine your risk of | | | | to prepare for a disaster. This includes plugs for your |
| flooding. | | | | basement drains in case of sewer backup and of |
| 2. Make sure your sump pump is working. Get a | | | | course moving valuable belongings to higher ground. |
| battery back up for your sump pump in case of an | | | | Also, gather several containers of water before a |
| emergency situation that results in a loss of power. | | | | potential disaster in case water supplies get cut off. |
| The battery back-up kicks in if the power is out to | | | | 4. Prepare an escape bag. If you are in a potential |
| prevent flooding in your basement. This is done by | | | | flood area, move belongings out of the basement and |
| using a 12 volt battery attached to the back up pump. | | | | prepare a bag full of valuable information, identification |
| 3. Power. Consider the purchase of a generator if you | | | | cards, money and basic survival items that you could |
| do not have one, in case the power goes out, now or | | | | grab in a hurry. |
| at any other time. For the purposes of keeping a sump | | | | 5. Plan an emergency route. You might want to plan |
| pump going, you can get a small to mid sized | | | | an emergency route out of town and maybe alternate |
| generator to power your sump pump, with power | | | | routes to avoid traffic problems if there is an |
| available for refrigeration or perhaps heating. I would | | | | evacuation of your community. This is a simple but |
| seriously consider purchasing a generator IN | | | | often overlooked aspect of flood preparation. It is |
| ADVANCE if this is the route you take, while they are | | | | better find a alternate route(s) out of your community |
| in supply, rather than waiting until everyone is in a panic | | | | rather than rushing into a traffic bottleneck along with |
| before an emergency. | | | | the rest of the crowd. Understandably, this is not |
| A sump pump requires the following wattage to | | | | always possible depending on your location. |