When you are in business as a plumber, part of the time you are also in a position of advising your customers and the general public on what to do if dangerous seasonal weather has the potential to cause damage to plumbing lines and septic tanks. In light of the recent major hurricane that swept up the coast of Florida, Australian plumbers can learn how Florida plumbers helped local residents prepare for what could have been a devastating storm had it made landfall in the Sunshine State.

Florida Plumbers’ Advice to Local Outlying Residents

When a major hurricane is heading towards Florida, everyone gets out to protect their property from flying objects thrown around by high winds. Most people either install their storm shutters or board up their windows. They bring everything inside that could become a projectile in high winds and they bring in plenty of supplies because it may be days or weeks before water and plumbing services are restored. However, most people don’t take the time to think about how to protect their plumbing which can, and often does, take some abuse from those high winds so Florida plumbers began issuing advisories.

Australia’s Equivalent to Hurricanes – Cyclones

In the northern hemisphere tropical storms swirl in a counter clockwise motion whereas in Australia, typhoons rotate clockwise. Even so, the winds go just as fast, smaller cyclones spin off and away from the leading front and a great deal of damage is done from wind and sometimes from water if it is a wet storm. The advice that South Florida Plumbers began circulating in the days before the expected impact, especially to rural residences not on city water, was to:

• Make absolutely certain to completely clear all drains of water.

• Shut off the main water to the home.

• Do a thorough inspection of the sump pump to ensure it works – this is critical.

• Make sure the hot water heater is secured, filled and sometimes they suggest turning it off until the storm has passed – unplug it if it is an electric heater, close the gas valve if it’s gas.

• Immediately when it’s safe do a complete inspection of all drains and water sources. You may be advised not to drink the water because it may have been contaminated by foreign objects during the storm.

When the Cyclone Makes Landfall Nearby

After the storm has passed, some areas are left relatively unaffected. Damage is minimal. However, as in the case of Matthew in recent months in the United States, nearby cities and towns had greater damage such as in Melborne (Florida) there was damage so residents had to seek a plumber out of the area because all plumbers were booked day and night. A plumber Boca Raton and south would be available because there was no direct damage in the southern portion of the state.

Australian plumbers are just coming into their tropical cyclone season and so should learn from what the East Coast of the United States just experienced and begin preparing their local residents for what to do in case of a storm passing nearby with its direct path as yet unknown. By learning how one locale dealt with the danger and damage, much can be done to avoid catastrophic damage.