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What is it?
DOEE is piloting a program called FloodSmart Homes that will send a professional to your home for a free flood resilience assessment and help identify the best solutions for your flooding concerns to reduce flood risk in your home. The professional will generate a report recommending the most useful and cost-effective resilience upgrades that would be a good fit for your home. If you agree to these upgrades, DOEE will install them at little to no cost to you.
Who is eligible?
DOEE’s goal is to serve all homeowners with flood risk who indicate interest in the program. Homes that are in a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA), also known as the 100-year floodplain, will be served first as they are at the highest risk during a flood. Following this, homes in the 500-year floodplain will be served, then all other homes who indicate interest and have documented flood risk. You can see if your home is in a floodplain by typing your address into the search bar at dcfloodrisk.org.
Sign up Now!
You can sign up for the program by:
- Completing the online survey
- Emailing [email protected]
- Calling 202-535-2600 and asking for the Flood Team
What You’ll Get
- Free Home Resilience Assessment and Report
Eligible homes will receive resilient assessments and reports from experts in the field at no cost to the homeowner. The inspectors will visually assess conditions of the structure (both outside and inside), conduct site surveys and soil inspections, then generate a report that includes an analysis of the property characteristics, such as exterior, HVAC, electrical, water system, and foundation.
Based on property characteristics and a cost analysis, the report will provide recommendations for the most helpful and cost-effective resilience upgrades that can be taken. The inspectors will be in constant communication with the homeowner to schedule assessments and answer any technical questions.
- Free Counseling
After the Home Resilience Report is generated, the professional assessor will hold a meeting with the homeowner to break down their findings and recommendations for resilience upgrades. The homeowner will have an opportunity to select their preferred upgrades and learn more about how their home can be more resilient to flooding.
- Free Installation of Flood Proofing and Resilience Upgrades
Once the homeowner agrees on the upgrades to install, DOEE and its contractors will professionally install the upgrades at little to no cost to you. Here are some examples of Hhome resilience upgrades that may be recommended in the Assessment and ultimately installed by DOEE and its contractorsto the homeowner are as follows:
- Mitigation warning kits with weather radios and water intrusion alarms
- Electrical outlet elevation and/or replacement with Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) outlets
- Installation of anchoring straps on water heaters, heating/ventilation/air conditioning (HVAC) equipment, and other appliances located below the design flood elevation
- Sealing of HVAC ducts to prevent water damage and mold growth
- Sump pumps
- Removable flood barriers
- Sewer backflow prevention valves
- Elevation of outdoor mechanical and electrical equipment
- Flood vents in crawlspace walls to relieve water pressure and prevent damage