After major storms hit an area, it is very common for at least a small portion of that area to be affected by floods. This happens because the amount of rainfall exceeds the ability of local drainage systems to handle the volume.
Whether it be natural creeks, manmade drainage ditches or concrete sewer systems, every drainage system has its limits. And although many states are almost immune to flooding due to an arid climate like a desert, the fact of the matter is that dozens of states are not. We saw what a major flood caused by Hurricane Helene last year can do. The people in and around Ashville, North Carolina got the full brunt of that storm, many folks lost everything.
“Floods don’t have to destroy your home to cause major problems,” said a plumber in Melbourne, Florida. “Flood waters can seep into spaces you are not monitoring and cause damage. Your house can literally be on a slow path to ruin because of flood damage.”
Once your home is waterlogged, there are a multitude of issues you can face. Whether it’s sinkholes in the yard or that your baseboards and kitchen flooring is damaged, a great deal can go wrong.
Stats and Figures of Flooding
Flooding remains one of the costliest natural disasters in the United States, with direct property damages totaling nearly $144 billion between 2010 and 2023, according to data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. In 2023 alone, floods and flash floods caused over $2 billion in property and crop losses, contributing to a record year of 28-billion-dollar weather disasters nationwide that year, four of which were major flood events affecting regions like California, Florida, and the Northeast. Annualized flood losses currently average $32.1 billion, driven by increasing exposure in flood-prone areas, and research projects this figure could rise by more than 25% by 2050 due to climate change and urban development.
Over the longer term, inland flooding has accounted for $203 billion in damages from 1980 to 2024, ranking as the fourth-costliest weather hazard behind tropical cyclones, severe storms, and drought, per NOAA’s billion-dollar disasters database. The average cost per flood event exceeds $4.5 billion, and the rising frequency—coupled with events like the deadly 2025 Texas flash floods—underscores the escalating economic toll, which has averaged $149 billion annually across all disasters during 2020-2024, a 50% increase from the previous decade.
Conclusion
Make sure your drainage systems are unblocked. Make sure you have a sump pump if flooding is a real possibility for you. At the very least, have a shop vacuum on hand. If your plumbing has been damaged by flooding, try to arrange an appointment with a plumber as soon as possible. Remember, they will be extremely busy, so time is of the essence.
There are a limited number of preventative measures you can take to prevent or eliminate damage from flooding. Sometimes, nature is just too strong, and you will be forced to deal with it. Keep your head on a swivel and pay attention to what is happening in your yard, under your home and with your plumbing pipes.
