5. Opt for a major retrofit
If your home floods frequently and moving isn't an option, you may need to take drastic and costly measures.
FLASH's home safety program suggests 3 options:
Raise your home on piers or columns so that the lowest floor is above the flood level. If that sounds expensive -- well, it would be. Experts tell FLASH that such an undertaking would cost $20,000 and up, Chapman-Henderson says.
"Wet-proof" your home by installing foundation vents that would allow water to flow through the building, instead of rising inside and causing more damage. You'd need at least 2 vents on different walls. A 1,000-square-foot house would require 7 square feet of flood vents, according to FLASH.
Do some "dry proofing" by applying coatings and other sealing materials to your walls to keep out floods.