Across North and South Carolina, communities are struggling after historic 1000-year flooding devastated parts of the region. It will be months, and possibly years, before many businesses impacted by the floods will be back in business. Some may never recover.

The National Flood Insurance Program reports that at least 25 percent of businesses that close after a flood don’t reopen.

Flood protection is the best defense against flood damage, and can provide businesses with some peace of mind in flood prone areas.

Hurricane Joaquin in the Atlantic Ocean north of Bermuda at 1315Z on October 5, 2015. GOES East satellite image from NOAA EVL.

In North and South Carolina, and in other places recently hit hard by flooding like Houston and the Jersey Shore, a number of forward-thinking businesses have taken steps to protect their assets with flood protection from Flood Panel LLC. (Click here for a list of Flood Panel projects.)

“We are heartbroken by the recent flood events in North and South Carolina, and our thoughts are with our many customers and business partners who live there,” said Tom Osborne, owner and president, Flood Panel. “The historic flooding demonstrates the unpredictability of storms, the catastrophic effect of flooding on communities, and the importance of being prepared for whatever Mother Nature brings.”

In regions at risk to major flooding, businesses have few options: move the building outside of the flood zone, elevate the structure above base flood elevation, build earthen barriers like berms, dikes and walls, or floodproof. Moving or elevating can add significant business hardship. According to the Army Corps of Engineers, floodproofing is the best choice, especially for urban structures.

Dry floodproofing requires that all large openings have flood barriers installed, areas below water level must resist infiltration, all small openings must be sealed, buoyancy effects should be considered and a method for pumping out leakage must be provided. Flood Panel’s expert consultancy and comprehensive line of flood panels, flood doors and custom flood solutions address any flood scenario.

The best flood defense is a good offense. A proactive approach to flood protection may spare businesses from catastrophic loss due to flooding caused by the next hurricane, historic rainfall or other extreme weather event.

For more information, visit www.floodpanel.com.

Source:: FloodBarrierUSA