No doubt water is a boon and a life-saving resource. But when nature goes wild, it can transform a blessing to curse. Flood is something you can’t control and it is bound to cause damage to a great extent. Your premises are the most affected during and after a flood. After the damage is done, you need to be careful with your next steps to ensure safety and quick restoration. Here’s a compact guide to help you on what to do and what not to do after flood damage.
What to do?
– Turn the main electricity supply off. Electricity and water make a dangerous combination. To avoid any accidents, you should keep it disconnected until it’s safe.
– Remove electronics and other important things from the basement or low lying areas. Shift small movable items upstairs. In case of heavy electronic appliances, you can raise them up with the help of bricks.
– Keep enough supply of bottled drinking water.
– Switch off electricity, gas, and water connections if you are moving out. Make sure to lock everything up.
– If your premise is insured, take photographs as evidence for the insurance claim. Make a backup, if possible. You can lose the first copy in the running around and emergency-like situation.
– Open all doors and windows if the rain has stopped. It will help to dry out the area and to allow fresh air in.
– If your house is too much damaged to clean it up yourself, hire water & flood damage restoration services before causing further damage to your house and belongings. Experts can control the situation better than you can.
What not to do?
– Don’t panic. There’s a lot to do before the situation gets normal. If you panic, things might go wrong and cause further inconvenience.
– Don’t leave your furniture on wet carpets or it will damage the furniture. Put something between the carpet and the furniture base that acts as a shield.
– Don’t use fans or vacuum cleaners to dry out the water.
– Don’t use your regular cleaning products. Flood water brings many contaminated germs with it. Mold formation is another thing you need to take care of. Act step by step and use products which not only clean the surface but kills hidden molds and germs as well.
– Don’t throw your damaged stuff out. Your insurance company might be willing to inspect them before they provide you any compensation.
Don’t use flood water for any purposes like drinking, bathing, cleaning, or food preparation. It is contaminated with sewage and other impurities.
– Don’t go into the water clogged area when you aren’t properly equipped with rubber boots, hand gloves, and masks.
– Don’t attempt to redecorate your house immediately. Let the walls and floors dry out completely. It might take some time but make sure there is no mold formation or left out contaminations before you go on with refurbishing.
Diminish Flood Damage to Your House
If you have a house on the flood plains, then you know one of the only ways to keep your home standing is to prevent major flood damage. You cannot forecast exactly when or where floods will occur, so you need to take steps to make sure that if your house is hit, the damage isn’t too great. Remember to always follow safety guidelines when taking these steps.
One of the first things you need to do is to determine how likely you are to be in a flood, and what the estimated damage could be. Even living in an area where flooding is possible, you will have different levels of possible damage. There are flood maps you can view to see this, and you may have to contact your city public works department to get a copy of this.
If you have your house where the flooding is possible, and the damage risk is high, then you need to safeguard your appliances. Laundry, water heaters and furnaces need to be at least a foot above the projected flood line or moved to an upper floor. These can be placed on blocks to get them to the height, and you can buy a furnace that installs on the ceiling.
In the basement, you need to have a working drain in the floor. You may also want to have a plug installed that will float up when water gets to it so it can drain since this can work without you having to be down there during the flood. You will need to check this during the year so that it remains working and free from debris.
A sewage backflow can be installed by a plumber to keep damage from sewage and water from happening. In a flood, this blocks any backup from the sewage from seeping into your home. If it does, this can be a costly, and gross, cleanup.
The electrical switches and fuses should also be above the flood line. Make sure wires are free from cracks and exposed spots so that if it floods, the electrical system doesn’t pose a hazard. It can also keep your home from shorting out and causing an expensive repair to get power back on.
A sump pump can also be installed. If you get one, you need to make sure that you have an alternative source of power to work it in a flood. This removes water quickly and can keep damage to the walls and foundations lower than letting it drain on its own.
Insurance is also important. You will need to get this through the federal government, and renters and owners alike can apply for it. There is a waiting period for the policy to go into effect, so it is better to get this before floods are a seasonal concern.
