Flood-proofing Pointers for Commercial Buildings
The Dangers and Damage of Flooding
Flooding in your commercial building won’t only cost you money for repairs (which, in itself, is already very expensive), but it can have major repercussions to your business. For commercial buildings that rent out space, it can discourage potential renters and cause current tenants to leave (after demanding you to pay for the damage caused by the flooding to their business). It can also endanger the health and safety of employees and customers. And, for factories, it can hinder operations and cause millions worth of damage to goods and equipment. Which is why flood-proofing should be considered a priority in any commercial structure.
Flood Resistance In Existing Buildings
Flood-resistance is one of the major considerations when designing and building a commercial structure (whether it’s a mall, an office building, or a manufacturing site). However, changes in the surroundings, issues with municipal drainage systems, changes in design flood level, and tons of other external factors can render an originally flood-proof structure more vulnerable to flooding. Additionally, flood-resistant materials and features eventually wear down over time as well. Luckily, you don’t have to renovate the entire commercial structure and elevate it in order to make it flood-resistant once more.
As such, we’ll be taking a look at different tips to help you flood-proof your building once more:
Add Drains, Pipes, and Other Supplemental Flood-proofing Features
Flood-proofing is basically all about redirecting water away from your structure and unto the municipal drainage. Instead of fully renovating your building and elevating it, you can add drains, pipes, and gutters to effectively redirect rain and floodwater.
Maintenance and Cleaning
It’s possible that you already have working flood mitigation features such as drains, pipes, and pumps to redirect rain and floodwater away from your structure. However, if these features aren’t maintained and cleaned up, they can eventually stop functioning altogether and won’t be able to prevent the next flood. As such, you have to include the cleaning of these drains and pipes and the maintenance of your pumps as part of your structure’s maintenance routine. Also, it’s just as important for you to clean leaves and debris off the gutters, downspouts, and drains as they can effectively block them.
Lawn Grading
Your commercial building’s exterior landscaping should be as functional as it is appealing. Many strip malls and office buildings have these beautiful-looking gardens and lawns that end up making puddles or turning into a veritable swamp after a strong bout of rain. That said, you should consider hiring your local commercial landscaping services in Ashburn to grade your commercial structure’s lawn — that is, to strategically slope your external terrain so that water is redirected away from the building and also avoid flooding the landscape itself.
Focus on the Basements
The basements and below-ground/below-flood level structures in commercial buildings (e.g. malls with ground floors, or underground parking garages) are more prone to flooding. That said, you should consult with a professional flood-proofing firm or company to help you make these vulnerable areas more resilient to flooding.
Insurance
There will be storms and other natural catastrophes that, despite all flood-proofing measures, can make flooding unavoidable. In such cases, you can still minimize damage by getting flood insurance to cover your structure, and also encourage your renters to do the same. This way, any repairs from flood and water damage can be covered by your insurance — which is a lot better than covering all the expenses on your own. And, speaking of unavoidable floods, it’s also good to have a flood emergency in place (just like with your fire evacuation and suppression plan).
Conclusion
Flooding can be very costly and detrimental to your commercial structure, so make sure that you follow these flood-proofing tips to avoid having to deal with the stressful issue of post-flood repairs and cleanup while ensuring the integrity and appeal of your building.