Benefits and Drawbacks of Riding a River's Crest
Living on a river can entail some of the finest scenery and nicest natural landscaping of any type of property. Along with the lush growing conditions a riverside property brings, a home on the river can offer spectacular views of the river and the wildlife it attracts. Indeed, living on a river and in an area that is well-maintained can be one of the nicest places to live in any area of the country, explaining the premium often put on riverside lots.
Of course, as with many things in life, there are prominent drawbacks to the benefits seen in living on or near a river. The most obvious problem is flooding, and though the prospect of getting flooded is rare in most areas of the country, having a plan for what you and your family will do if a flood creeps up toward your property will take at least part of the stress out of the situation and help you concentrate on more important things like the safety of you and your family.
Set a Cut-Off Point
One of the best things you can take a lot of the guesswork out of the flood evacuation process and set, well ahead of time, a barrier that, when it becomes flooded, you will leave the home, no questions asked. This can be a spot in the yard, a measurement of feet above flood stage for the river, or any kind of trait you might want to use to give you and your family a no questions asked, decision-making mechanism to remove some of the back-and-forth discussions that can often waste valuable time when a flood begins to creep towards a property.
Instead of arguing over whether the conditions warrant an evacuation or not, having a set barrier will take that arguing out of the equation and instead free you up to work on removing important assets from the low-level areas of the home, working on sandbagging if that is called for in your area or anything else that will help make proactive steps toward protecting you and your family.
Off to Grandma’s House
Of course, you don’t have to go to grandma’s, but having a plan in mind on where you will go, where children might go, and where assets might go will take additional guesswork out of the equation should a flood approach. While these plans can always be made in the event of a flood incident, having a plan in place is one of the best ways to cut down on stress during what is sure to be a difficult time.
Contact your friends or family to see if they would be willing to put you and your family up in the case of an emergency. A hotel is always an option if staying closer than at a relative's home is needed, setting up a more comfortable and familiar set of surroundings for you and your family (especially children) can take some of the anguish and worry out of the trying period of dealing with a potentially flooded property. Once again, having these things set up from the beginning will free you up to do more important things for your home’s well-being.
To be clear, floods are extremely rare and though they can be devastating, living on a river offers so many benefits that the risk is often well worth it. Though you should not actively worry about having a flood creep into your home, developing a plan to deal with one should it ever occur will save you precious time during a flood event and give you the peace of mind you need during what is sure to be a stressful undertaking.