Flood-proofing and flood barriers for low Jersey City buildings

Much of downtown Jersey City and Hoboken was built on old marsh and fill near the Hudson, and Secaucus sits at the edge of the Meadowlands. FEMA flood zones cover parts of all three, along with land on the Hackensack River side. When a surge or a cloudburst overwhelms the streets, water has no need to soak through the foundation wall. It walks in through the lowest door, the areaway, a basement window or a gap around a pipe.

Sandy in 2012 showed what storm surge does to low downtown streets, and the remnants of Ida in 2021 showed that extreme rain can fill basements across north Jersey within hours, far from any river. Those are two different kinds of flood, and plenty of buildings face both. Surface water pours over thresholds and window sills. Combined sewers back up through floor drains. Groundwater rises under the slab. Each path needs its own answer.

That's why flood-proofing starts with a walk around the outside at the height water is likely to reach, not with a product. We mark every opening below that line: doors, areaway steps, window wells, dryer and exhaust vents, gas and water lines, electrical conduit, and cracks at the base of the wall. The list is usually longer than owners expect, and nearly all of it can be closed off or protected.

For doors and areaways, we install removable flood shields: aluminum or composite panels that drop into permanent side channels and press against a gasket at the sill. The channels stay on the building year-round and sit low and narrow, so they suit rowhouse entries and storefront doors without changing much about the look. The panels are stored inside and go in when a storm is forecast, and one person can set most of them in a few minutes.

Basement windows get bolt-down window-well covers or sealed panels that close off the well, and the well drain is cleared and tested so water that does get in has an exit. Our window well waterproofing page covers the drain side in more detail. Below the flood line, every pipe, cable and conduit passing through the wall gets a compression seal or hydraulic cement, so water can't track in alongside it.

Floor drains and fixtures are the other door into the basement. In the combined sewer system that serves most of Jersey City and Hoboken, a heavy storm can push sewer water up through the basement drain while the shields are holding the street water back. Fitting a backwater valve on that line shuts the sewer route while still letting the basement drain. Sewer-side work can call for a permit and a plumber, and we tell you up front when it does and coordinate it.

Some spaces are better off letting water through than holding it out. A crawl space under a rear addition, an attached garage or an enclosed area under a raised house can see enough water pressure in a flood to push its walls inward. Flood vents are openings with automatic flaps that let floodwater flow in and drain back out, so the level stays about the same on both sides of the wall and the structure carries far less load.

Then there's the equipment. A boiler, water heater, electric panel or washer sitting on the basement floor is often the most expensive thing a flood ruins. Where there's headroom, we raise equipment onto concrete pads or steel stands above the expected water line and move controls and outlets higher on the wall. Where moving a unit needs a plumber, an electrician or a permit, we tell you before work starts and coordinate that part.

For equipment that has to stay low, we build a sealed curb or a small flood wall around it, anchor fuel tanks so they can't float, and fit backflow protection on the lines that serve it. A sump with a battery backup keeps pumping after the power drops, which it often does in exactly these storms; our sump pump installation page explains how that setup goes together.

Questions about flood insurance, premiums or how this work fits a policy belong with your insurance agent, who knows your coverage. What we hand you is a clear record of the building side: what was installed, where it sits and how high it reaches, with photos. Keep it with your building paperwork, whether you own a rowhouse downtown or a townhome at Harmon Cove in Secaucus.

The last piece is a plan. Shields only work if someone sets them before the water arrives, so we label each panel, show you or your super where it goes, and leave a short checklist by the basement door: test the sump, clear areaway and well drains, lift stored items off the floor, and set the shields when a serious storm is forecast. If water gets in anyway, we answer 24/7, and our after-a-flood checklist covers the first hours.