Decreasing Future Flood Damage Can Be Easy And Inexpensive 

FEMA experts to provide helpful information at area home improvement stores this weekend

Release Date: May 10, 2007
Release Number: 1695-009

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PORTSMOUTH, N.H. - As New Hampshire residents continue repairing damage from April's nor'easter, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) wants you to know it can be simple and relatively inexpensive to make improvements to your homes and businesses that will help prevent future damage when a similar flooding event occurs.

This weekend, teams of FEMA Hazard Mitigation Advisors, with expertise in how to make residential and business structures safer and more resistant to severe-weather damage, will be available at home improvement stores to educate property owners and renters on mitigation strategies and techniques designed to reduce losses and damage in the future.

Mitigation efforts do not have to be complicated or costly. They can be as simple as making sure gutters are clean and water drainage is directed away from a building's foundation, to installing an auto-start generator so your sump pump continues to run if you lose power. Appliances, water heaters and furnaces can be raised to keep them from being damaged by water in the basement. And, storing personal items on shelves and not on basement floors can prevent the loss of family treasures.

Information on these and other mitigation measures will be available Saturday and Sunday, May 12 and May 13, from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. at the following locations:

Visitors will receive free literature on mitigation topics including minimizing flood damage, home elevation techniques, mold and mildew clean-up, protecting against wind damage, and why the National Flood Insurance Program is not just for people living in designated flood plains.

A study by The National Institute of Building Science's Multi-hazard Mitigation Council found that, although risk from natural disasters cannot be eliminated completely, every $1 spent on mitigation can save as much as $4 in response and recovery.

FEMA coordinates the federal government's role in preparing for, preventing, mitigating the effects of, responding to, and recovering from all domestic disasters, whether natural or man-made, including acts of terror.

Last Modified: Thursday, 10-May-2007 18:02:10