Water, Water All Around: Winter Flood Awareness

2/1/2019 (Permalink)

Wisconsin has become a notorious swinging pendulum of back and forth weather patterns. From mild weeks spanning December, to biting cold and heavy snow fall in January, it’s hard to predict what could be headed our way. Naturally in the winter, flooding would be the last concern on our list of worries. But surprisingly, flooding can happen at any time of year, particularly in the cold months. There are numerous reasons as to why an area can flood during winter. Broken water pipes are a known culprit in the freezing temperatures. Sudden snow thaws can lead to a rapid amount of excess of bodies of water looking for a location to settle. Because the ground might still be in a frozen state, the water cannot be absorbed and will run off until it finds a stream or lake that can withhold its mass. When this happens, flooding is almost always a side effect. There are a few steps that can be taken to be better prepared for these types of storm disasters.

Insure yourself: Look into purchasing a flood insurance policy if you do not already have one in place.

Know it all: Get familiarized with what your insurance covers and what it does not

A Simple Plan: Always have a flood plan prepared which should include evacuation routes. Have important documents stored in a safe, waterproof location.

Picture This: Take photos of your possessions. It will be very useful for insurance claims should disaster strike.