Flood risk is rising in Western Pennsylvania: how to prepare

You do not need to take a side in any argument to read a rain gauge. NOAA's climate summary for Pennsylvania says the state has seen a large increase in extreme precipitation events, and it expects wetter winters and springs to raise the risk of flooding along rivers and streams.

The record book agrees. Pennsylvania's long-term average is 42.6 inches of precipitation a year. In 2018 the state measured 64.0 inches, the highest total on its books. The five years from 2016 through 2020 were the wettest stretch ever recorded here, and most of the extra rain has arrived in summer and fall.

For a homeowner, the trend matters more than the cause. More heavy rain events mean more days when gutters, storm drains, and sewers take on more water than they were built to carry. That is the whole story, and it is why preparing on a dry day beats reacting on a wet one.

Our shop sits in Tarentum, a borough on the Allegheny River about 22 miles northeast of Pittsburgh. Towns like ours grew up close to the water, and the river towns and boroughs our crews cover share the same shape: hillsides above, older streets below, and a basement at the bottom of every slope.

Rain finds three ways into those basements. The river itself can rise. Runoff can pour down a hillside street faster than the drains can swallow it. And much of the region runs on combined sewers, which carry stormwater and sewage in the same pipe. ALCOSAN documents overflows on that system during wet weather, and an overloaded combined sewer can push water back up through a basement floor drain.

That last one surprises people every time. The sky does the damage, but the water arrives through the drain in your floor. It is also why a check valve sits so high on the prep list below.

The worst time to learn your policy is the week after a flood. Three facts are worth knowing on a dry day:

• Most homeowners and renters policies do not cover flood damage. Flood coverage is its own policy, and the National Flood Insurance Program exists for exactly this gap.
• The cause of the water decides the coverage. FloodSmart's own example: a flood policy covers a sewer backup driven by a heavy rainstorm, but not one caused by clogged pipes.
• Basements get special treatment. Flood policies do not protect personal property kept in basements, no matter what caused the flooding.

There is also a clock. Flood coverage generally starts 30 days after you buy it, with a few exceptions, such as buying while taking out or renewing a mortgage. Insurers also stop issuing new policies once a flood threat is approaching. So the time to ask is before the forecast turns. The details are on FEMA's flood insurance basics page.

Most of this list is an afternoon of your own work. Only the check valve calls for a pro:

1. Check valves in the plumbing. The National Weather Service recommends having a professional install check valves so flood water cannot back up into your drains. In a combined-sewer region, this is the most targeted fix on the list.
2. A sump pump you have actually tested. Run it before storm season, and consider a backup. The pump only helps if it works the night it matters.
3. Breakers labeled. Mark your electrical panel clearly for each area of the house, so anyone home can kill power to a wet room in seconds.
4. Storage up off the floor. Shelves beat floor piles. The insurance exclusion above is one more reason: what sits on a basement floor is the least protected property in the house.
5. A 3-day kit. Food, water, and medicine for at least 3 days, plus flashlights, batteries, a first aid kit, rubber boots, and rubber gloves.
6. Photos of what you own. We photograph every job we walk into, because documentation is what claims run on. Give yourself the same head start: a slow phone video of the basement, dated, while everything is still dry.

One more from the Weather Service: sandbags only help when you have real lead time, because filling them takes longer than most people expect. Its flood preparation checklist is short and worth ten minutes of your evening.

Not sure which of these your house actually needs? Call (412) 226-9468 and talk it through with us. We have stood in a lot of basements around here.

Preparation comes with one hard safety rule. Moving flood water is stronger than it looks. Six inches of fast-moving water can knock an adult off their feet. Twelve inches of rushing water can carry away most cars, and two feet can take SUVs and trucks. The CDC figures cited by the National Weather Service show that over half of flood drownings happen when someone drives into water on a road.

So make it a family rule: nobody walks or drives through flood water, ever. A flooded basement is a problem a crew can fix. Turn around and let the water have the road.

Some storms beat every valve and pump. When that happens, speed decides how much of the basement you keep. The EPA's guidance is that wet materials dried within 24 to 48 hours usually will not grow mold. Miss that window, and a water job turns into a mold job stacked on top of it.

That window is why we run the way we do. Our crew answers 24/7 and is at your door in 2 hours or less from our building in Tarentum. We find every wet wall with moisture meters instead of guessing, photograph the loss for your claim, take readings every day until the structure reads dry, and bill your insurance company directly. Every technician on the truck is IICRC certified. See how we dry a flooded basement and prove it with meters for the full process.