Experts: Prepare for the worst

Standard homeowner insurance policies seldom cover flooding.
By CYNTHIA VINARSKY
VINDICATOR BUSINESS WRITER
It's a gorgeous spring day, certainly no time to go shopping for an emergency generator or a sump pump battery. Right?
Wrong, say retailers who spent much of last weekend trying to satisfy frantic Mahoning Valley homeowners grappling with the effects of a lengthy power outage.
Often customers left empty-handed -- with thousands left in the dark by weekend thunderstorms. There just weren't enough emergency generators and sump pump backups to go around.
And even those lucky enough to find what they needed were, in many cases, forced to wait until they could find someone to install it.
"People come in when it's raining, looking for a battery backup for their sump pump. That's not a good idea," said Keith Piros, general manager of Handyman Hardware and Supply in McKinley Heights.
"The best time is when it's dry when you can think about what you need and then can install it whenever it's convenient for you."
Piros, a 20-year veteran of the hardware business, said he recommends installing a battery backup, powered with a marine motor designed for use around water, to keep a sump pump operating when power goes out.
He said the battery backup is less powerful than the electric pump, so it might not keep a basement completely dry in a heavy downpour.
The cost of the backup and battery, when added to a sump pump, is in the $220 to $240 range. Piros said a battery backup can be installed by a reasonably experienced do-it-yourselfer.
Other solutions
Youngstown Plumbing and Hardware on Mahoning Avenue in Youngstown's West Side sells a water-powered sump pump backup that can be connected to a city waterline. The device costs about $130, but professional installation is usually necessary, so that adds to the cost.
Paul Roberts, who shares ownership of the store with his brother Dave, said the water backup system has a float-activated switch and works like a syphon.
"I put one on in a customer's basement last year, and when the power outage hit, he was the only one in the neighborhood not bailing buckets of water out of their sump pump," Roberts said.
"His basement is almost completely finished, so he was deathly afraid of getting flooded."
The water system doesn't work for well water users, however.
Some homeowners opt to buy an emergency generator which can be used to power a freezer, a television, an air conditioner or a hair curler in addition to the sump pump when power goes out.
Sears Appliance and Hardware in Austintown sold 57 generators and took orders for more last weekend, said Debbie Soroka, assistant manager. The store stocks four styles, ranging $400 to $1,000, but keeps only a few on its shelves because they are big-ticket items.
Shopping in advance and pre-ordering assures a customer will have the time to make an educated choice, she said.
Soroka said most of her customers prefer a portable, gasoline-powered generator that is stored in a shed or garage when not in use.
In her Austintown neighborhood, Soroka said, a few homeowners who had generators were sharing them last weekend with neighbors who didn't, stretching long, heavy-duty power cords from door to door.
Some generators can be wired into a home's electrical system as a permanent standby power source.
Ellen Raines, a FirstEnergy spokeswoman, said it is important that homeowners have wired-in generators installed by a certified electrician.
Improperly installed, a wired-in device could cause power to flow back into outside electrical lines, resulting in a risk of serious injury to FirstEnergy line workers and creating a fire hazard, she said.
Insurance
Insurance coverage against floods and water backup is another issue to consider before the spring rainy season, not after.
Brian Maze, a spokesman for State Farm Insurance based in Newark, Ohio, said homeowner policies in Ohio generally do not cover flooding or water backup unless the customer has added special coverage.
Flooding, for insurance purposes, is when water from an outside source comes into a home, usually through a basement or door; water backup is when water comes into a home from a floor drain, sewer or sump pump.
"The customer has to ask; the agent can't just add the coverage," Maze said. "Those are the two most misunderstood items when it comes to homeowners insurance."
vinarsky@vindy.com