Reducing Water And Storm Damage To Your Home

 

As we become more urbanized, we create more problems with storm water run-off. Years ago virtually all rain water fell and sank into the ground. We've built homes, shopping centres, factories, car parks, roads etc. and all of these have stopped rain seeping into the ground upon impact. The rain is forced to run off somewhere else. It heads into drains and water ways and the sediment it takes with it creates more problems elsewhere. Because of the run-off, the water ways become depleted of oxygen and can become contaminated from chemicals. We can all help to reduce this ever increasing problem by simply making a few changes at home. Here is what you can do to help the environment (and yourself, of course):

• *Remove your solid concrete or asphalt drive-way and re-create it in pavers or bricks
• *Replace the central part of your drive-way so that the only parts that are water repellent are the parts where your tyres are. You can grow low grasses or place mulch in between the tyre tracks
• *Save and use the water that runs off your roof
• *Add organic matter to your soil to enable it to absorb water better
• *Swap to a native garden in lieu of lawn. Lawns are often not good water absorbers.
• *If you have a lawn then wash your car on it rather than on washing it on your drive-way

 

Cyclones and storms can create huge amounts of damage to our homes. We can do the obvious things such as:

• *Keeping gutters and valleys free of leaves
• *Maintaining the roof, especially check areas around chimneys and skylights
• *Prune tree branches so they can't fall onto your roof
• *Slope your garden away from the house
• *Ensure nothing impedes run off into surface drains

The fact sheets below offer more ideas on preventing storm damage:

 

SUNCORP ADVICE - Skip the first couple of paragraphs and find helpful advice

FLOOD INFO - Cleaning surface drains

ALL WET - How To keep moisture out of historic buildings

STORM TRACK - Lessons learned from studying tornado damage (heavy reading but interesting)

AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF METEOROLGY - What to do before, during and after a flood

 

 

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