TOLEDO, Ohio — The WTOL 11 weather team is forecasting a storm system to arrive on Friday with soaking and heavier rainfall. The potential of 1 to 2 inches of rain will be possible with high water and localized flooding concerns.
Area homeowners with basements may want to make preparations in advance of the forecasted rain.
Josh Kellermeier, co-owner of Kellermeier Plumbing & Heating, Inc., said sump pump failures are a common cause of flooded basements.
Every time rain sweeps through northwest Ohio, Kellermeier said he gets flooded with calls.
"We have an uptick in calls from people who are concerned about their basement, they're seeing standing water around and they're worried their basement may flood -- or the dreaded ones where the basement already has flooded," Kellermeier said.
So who pays for damages from a flooded basement? Insurance is a place to start, but it could be tricky to get covered.
If the water is coming in from the ground it's covered by flood insurance, Tom Hudak, an independent insurance agent with Regan Insurance Agency, said.
But if water is coming up from the foundation, it's a different story, Hudak said.
"That’s typically something that's not going to be covered," he said. "Just the foundation not being able to keep the water out."
If your basement does have water, Hudak recommended some measures to take.
"Remove things from a basement so they don't start to get moldy, or cutting a little bit off the wall so the whole wall doesn't get saturated with water," he said.
Kellermeier recommended storing valuable items in rooms other than a basement. And if you do put them in the basement, he recommended using plastic containers.
"It's not the fact that the home can't be rebuilt or insurance can't cover it," Kellermeier said. "Some of the heirlooms that some people store in their basement are now forever lost."