First Post!

Disaster Management--Flooding
Spring is flood season.  Those of you native to sea level have likely experienced
flooding.  From the east coast of the United States to the Midwest, rivers which
led to early settlement of these areas overrun their banks after heavy spring rains. Western states may flood from snow melt and rain.

"Developing" land doesn't stop nature from doing what it has always done. 
In fact, putting buildings, roads, parking lots and mown grass lawns on wetlands
and prairie which normally absorb water makes flooding worse. This is why permits are now required before large projects are started in areas which are crucial to flood control.

Many metropolitan areas such as Chicago and its suburbs have combination
sewage/storm water systems.  These are no longer allowed by the US EPA, but
older communities are grandfathered in since it is expensive to separate storm
water from sewer water once the combo sewer system is already in place. 

Storm water is essentially clean water while sewer water is from toilet flushing and household use. When heavy rains come, the storm water collects in sewers and overwhelms their capacity, sometimes pushing back into the co-sewer lines from the street into your home.

In order to prevent this unsanitary flow from entering your house, have the
exterior system checked, especially the lateral from your property to the main in
the street. Sometimes sewer lines are not pitched correctly or are blocked. A
blockage can be from tree roots in cracked clay lines, broken sewer lines, dips or "bellying" in the sewer pipes etc.

Sewer systems are not inspected as part of the home inspection when buying a house (at least in IL), so it is highly desirable to have a sewer expert videotape the sewer lines to determine their condition prior to finalizing purchase. Repairing or replacing them can cost many thousands of dollars and headache if you get sewer/stormwater flooding.

Check the URL's below for more flood prevention and clean up advice:
     http://www.fema.gov/hazard/flood/index.shtm 
     http://www.epa.gov/naturalevents/flooding.html    
     http://www.nyc.gov/html/oem/html/hazards/flooding.shtml  
     http://www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/floods/ 

These resources are provided as a courtesy to readers to help protect themselves and their property. Check all information for applicability and accuracy prior to use.  

Also, look into disaster preparedness tips for items to keep on hand in case of
emergency--bottled water, flashlights, canned food, etc. 
http://www.ready.gov/america/index.html for emergency preparedness tips.

Giles Occupational Safety & Health, LLC makes no claims as to accuracy of the
websites and their content.  As most of the country is prone to flooding, one
should know what to do ahead of time to prevent damage and how to address
the aftermath of flooding.  Please keep in mind that nothing is perfect, especially
when dealing with natural disasters and living organisms.  All risk cannot be eliminated.

Carol A. Giles, MPH, CIH 
Member/Owner
Giles Occupational Safety & Health, LLC
Copyright 2011          Use with credit