Owning Land

Preparing Your Farm for Flooding

Preparing Your Farm for Flooding

It was almost one year ago that devastating floods hit the Midwest, destroying homes and thousands of acres of farmland in states like Missouri, Nebraska, Iowa and Kansas. Many farmers lost their entire operation. In preparing for another flood season, here are some tips to keep your land, livestock and families safe.

Check your insurance. Many insurance policies don’t cover floods so make sure you check your benefits. If you live in a flood plain, it might be a good idea to invest in flood insurance. When it’s time to file a claim, you may look for companies to inspect the damages in your property and provide you with an estimate of how much your insurance compensation should be.

Plan for your livestock’s safety. If you can’t transport your livestock to higher ground, have a plan in place to give them the best chance for survival. Before you evacuate, open your gates to allow them to migrate to higher ground. Also, leave fresh water and food in a place they can access it.

Keep extra supplies on hand. Sandbags are a must to protect your property from flooding. However, it’s important to have other supplies like hand tools, rope, fire extinguishers and generators on hand for circumstances beyond your control like loss of power, fires or being able to secure items from drifting away.

Prepare household items. Check your sump pump to make sure it’s working correctly and if you don’t have one, install one. Consider putting any appliances on platforms to reduce the possibility of damage. Also, store important, smaller items in metal or plastic containers that can float and keep your things dry.

Make an evacuation plan. Have an emergency plan in place for you and your family (as well as any workers you may have on your farm). This includes having an evacuation route, assigned duties to who prepares/does what, copies of emergency numbers and an inventory of livestock and other supplies.

Most importantly, don’t ever assume it won’t happen to you. Be prepared to evacuate and follow through with your plans. If you have questions, reach out to your local extension office.

This content may not be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever, in part or in whole, without written permission of LANDTHINK. Use of this content without permission is a violation of federal copyright law. The articles, posts, comments, opinions and information provided by LANDTHINK are for informational and research purposes only and DOES NOT substitute or coincide with the advice of an attorney, accountant, real estate broker or any other licensed real estate professional. LANDTHINK strongly advises visitors and readers to seek their own professional guidance and advice related to buying, investing in or selling real estate.

About the author

United Country Real Estate

United Country Real Estate is the largest fully integrated network of conventional and auction real estate professionals in the United States and has been an innovator in real estate marketing since 1925.

1 Comment

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  • Great article, especially in today climate as a disaster may not be exactly where you normally expect it from. I feel that everyone needs to have some sort of plan when faced with adversity.

Pulse Question

Should federal tax dollars be prioritized to aid property owners affected by Hurricane Helene instead of funding foreign wars and illegal immigrants?

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