There are many different ways to protect a building or a property from flood damage and they all vary in complexity and cost. Please be advised that almost all changes to a building or property require a permit from the City of Oceanside. You may be able to make some types of changes yourself, but often you need to hire a professional to do the job. Make sure to get the appropriate permit before you start your project.

Property and building protection measures:

• Prepare a list of all important contact information and of personal property such as expensive and irreplaceable furniture, clothes, jewelry, photographs, etc. Inform family members about this list and what to do in times of emergency.

• If flooding is likely, move furniture and any other valuables to a location away from flooding or to higher floors.

• Inventory, video and photograph your home and its content and put important papers in a safe, and waterproof location. This is very important if you need to submit claims to insurance companies. Include value and receipts whenever possible.

• Keep insurance documents and valuables in a safe-deposit box or move them to upper floors.

• Protect family photos and heirlooms; sometimes these types of items can never be restored to their original condition.

• Buy flood insurance to protect your building and its contents.

• Keep water away by re-grading the lot, building a berm, small flood wall or earthen berm to redirect drainage water away from the building.

• Raise the building to above base Flood Elevation.

• Relocate the building to a location outside of the flood zone area.

• Flood proof your building. Make walls waterproof and place water tight closures over doorways (this is recommended only for non-residential buildings).

• Raise your furnace, water heater, and electrical panel to higher floors or to the attic if they are in areas of your home that may become flooded. Raising this equipment can help to prevent damage. An undamaged water heater may be your best source of fresh water after a flood.

• Install plumbing check valves to prevent floodwater from backing up into the drains of your home. As a last resort, when floods threaten, use large corks or stoppers to plug showers, tubs, or basins.

• Protect and restrict the flow of water to lower levels of the structure, such as basements and garages. Seal walls in basements with waterproofing compounds to avoid seepage through cracks.

• If flooding is expected, consider using sandbags to keep water away from your home. Keep materials like sandbags, plywood, plastic sheeting, and lumber handy for emergency waterproofing.

• Keep watercourses free of fill/debris. Many people fail to recognize how re-grading their yard, filling a wetland, or discarding leaves or branches in a watercourse can cause a problem for themselves and others.

• Do not dump or throw anything in to ditches or streams. Trash, grass clippings and tree branches can plug the drains or channels and contribute to flooding. Dumping item in these areas is a violation of the City of Oceanside Ordinance No. 40.1.2.

• If you live near ditches or creeks, please do your part to keep the banks clear of brush and debris.

• Report damaged, plugged, over grown vegetation and debris on storm drains, channels, swales, culverts, catch basins, detention basins, etc. to the City of Oceanside.

• The City of Oceanside has an annual storm drain maintenance program that removes and cleans debris and vegetation from storm drains, pipes, channels and swales located in the City of Oceanside; however, this alone cannot prevent blockage to the drainage system.

• Report any illegal building, grading or trash dumping to the City of Oceanside. Make sure to always check with the Development Services Department at (760) 435-3950 before you build on, alter, or place any fill on your property.

• Silt fences, sandbags and other erosion control devices are placed on construction sites to protect the environment from pollutants running into our streams. Report any broken or damaged erosion control device to the City of Oceanside.

For more information or assistance contact the City of Oceanside Engineering Division at (760) 435-3950.