The Facts About Floods

Plan with care: Landscape changes like the addition of roads can create new flood risks.

Floods can happen anytime and anywhere your woods are. If it rains there, it can flood.

But some areas do run a higher risk of flooding than others. If your land is in a low-lying area, near water  or downstream from a dam, your flood risk and flood insurance requirements will very likely factor in to managing your woods. You can check your local flood hazard map to determine your area’s flood risk.

Floods aren’t just caused by heavy downpours. They can result from melting snow, tropical storms and thunderstorms, hurricanes, dam or levee failures, and other severe conditions that overwhelm drains or pipe systems.

Man-made changes to the landscape can also cause floods. The buildings, roads and parking lots that come with new development don’t absorb rainfall like woodlands and other natural features do, so they can create flood risks where there were none before. 

Whatever the flood’s cause, it can take a toll. Just an inch of water can cause costly damage to your home, and make a significant impact on your woods.

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