What Puts Desert Homes at Risk of Flood Damage in Phoenix?

3/26/2018 (Permalink)

Flooded areas can quickly bring water into your home. Should your property suffer from a flooding incident, contact SERVPRO for remediation services.

Team SERVPRO is Standing By in the Event of Storms and Flooding in Your Area

While the desert may be hot and dry for most of the year, homes in Phoenix can experience flood damage from storms and natural disasters on rare occasions. Sometimes, these floods may result from a massive rainstorm and flash flood that can affect an entire neighborhood or community at once. In other cases, only a single unfortunate home may be the victim of a disaster. Many factors contribute to our community's relatively high risk of flood damage for how little rainfall it receives, ranging from the makeup of the desert itself to how we base our lives on that environment.

The most substantial contributing factor to the prevalence of flood damage in Phoenix and surrounding communities is the nature of the soil. Most of the Sonoran Desert naturally contains a soil composition that is high in clay and has a low tolerance for water. While other environments may be able to soak up inches of rainfall at a time, the soil here quickly becomes saturated with water, leaving additional rainfall with nowhere to go but washes and streams. While natural features are usually competent at containing the runoff water, sometimes these may overflow or fail, allowing entire streams to barrel toward unsuspecting homes and communities.

Homes in Phoenix are rarely prepared for such a disaster because of how uncommon it is here. Most homes are built on level ground and not elevated above the street or nearby washes. When floods come, flowing over flat land and avoiding high ground, many unfortunate homes are caught in the path.

Most of the city is built on relatively flat terrain, doing little to stop advancing floodwaters. Neighborhoods without regular drainage outlets are especially susceptible to flash flooding and damage from heavy rainstorms. If you are concerned that a flash flood may be coming to your home, get valuable items and your family to high ground and call up SERVPRO.

SERVPRO of East Phoenix is ready in every major storm to help Valley residents recover from floods and other disasters that may befall their homes. Call us 24/7 at (602) 507-6163.
 
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