Flooding is a natural disaster familiar to almost everyone on the planet. At some point, everyone will experience a flood, be it from a spring rain, a heavy thunderstorm, or melting snow at the end of winter. According to FEMA, floods and flash floods occur in all 50 states.

Floods can envelope entire cities and can wash away whole neighborhoods. Various types of retrofitting can be done to protect your home from flood damage. While there is no definite solution to prevent flood damage, having floodwalls, levees, and other types of flood proofing could mean the difference between minor water damage and complete structural destruction. There are six main ways to retrofit your home: elevation, wet floodproofing, relocation, dry floodproofing, levees and floodwalls, and demolition.

Retrofitting through elevation requires a homeowner to raise the home so the lowest floor is above flood level. You can also opt for wet floodproofing, which means the home is redesigned so the lower section of the house that would be subject to the flood waters are made to survive invasive flood water.

Relocation is another alternative, but it is rather expensive. It involves a home being moved from a floodplain to a location of higher elevation to prevent flood damage.

Dry floodproofing is a more popular choice it involves sealing the house to prevent the invasion of floodwater. Some people also build a levee or floodwall around their homes to help keep floodwater away.

Finally, if a home has been severely damaged in a flood, the only option may be demolition. You as the homeowner can then decide to rebuild on the same property or to cut losses and buy/build in another location.

Regardless of the method of retrofitting you choose, remember to find what the Flood Protection Elevation is for your area. Building and retrofitting above this elevation could prevent thousands of dollars of damage to your property.