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out the building, removing debris, draining standing water, removing mud, and fixing leaky pipes. The property owner may also have to file insurance claims and disaster assistance applications. Damaged household and personal items such as clothes, furniture. and appliances will have to be cleaned or re- placed. Utilities must be restored and structural repairs made to the building, normally by service profes- sionals. Also, floods can destroy irreplaceable items such as photographs. family heirlooms, and busi- ness records. Much of this inconvenience can be reduced or limited if the property owners flood proof their buildings. 00 HEALTH AND SAFETY ~ Flooded buildings expose occupants to a variety of health hazards. Sewer lines may back up and flood the building. Rats and snakes may also temporarily inhabit the flood-dam- aged building. The water supply could become contaminated. Food, medicine, and cos- metics that have been touched by floodwaters will be spoiled. Occupants may also be exposed to electri- cal shock from outlets or appliances when attempting to reenter a building after a flood. Floodwaters may cause cracks in gas pipes in the building, resulting in gas leaks and possibly fires. In addition, cop- ing with the aftermath of a flood can cause considerable stress. Property owners may suffer loss of sleep or fatigue. Many of these hazards can be avoided by flood proofing. r!] ARCHlTECTLRAL AESTHETICS ,,' \ I I; /~ The property owner may wonder, "How will my building look if I flood proof? Will it look strange?" This is an important consideration. With the help of an architect, flood proofing can be integrated with the design of the building to create a pleasing appearance. In some cases. the beauty of a building can be enhanced. Another consideration regarding building appearance occurs after the flood has subsided. If the building is not flood proofed, the property owner must repair and restore it, as described previously. During this often lengthy period. the building may be unusable. On the other hand, if the building is flood proofed, the cleanup work after a flood will likely involve only landscaping repairs to the damaged yard. A flood proofed building can usually be restored to its pre-flood condition fairly quickly at a relatively low cost. ~ EMERGE"CY MEASURES <> If standard flood proofing measures turn out to be impractical, there are other actions that the property owner may take to reduce flood damage. In general, greater reductions in flood damage may be achieved by working with someone experienced or trained in emer- gency flood protection measures. If there is sufficient warning prior to a flood. the property owner can relocate items such as electronic equipment, furniture. and personal items from the basement or first floor to a higher level above the expected flood elevations. These items may also be transported to a safe loca- tion away from the property. Also. if there is ample warning the property owner can implement emer- gency flood protection measures such as sandbagging around windows and doors or boarding up en- trances to the home. However, such measures should not exceed three feet above the first floor level. Floodwater depths greater than three feet on a building can result in hydrostatic pressures great enough to damage or collapse the walls of the building. 5