What To Do In Case Of A Flood In Your Home

9/1/2020 (Permalink)

If your home has been flooded, the first thing you will be wondering is what you can do about the damage. The good news is that we have help to offer you. Today, here at SERVPRO of Huron and East Seneca Counties, we will share some important steps that need to be taken to ensure the safety of your family along with the integrity of your house. 

Here are some steps to take if your house is flooded: 

• Evacuate everyone from the premises as soon as possible if you see that flooding is imminent. Find a dry, safe spot away from the house while waiting for the flooding to stop. If flooding is caused by a natural disaster, call the authorities or listen to the local news to find a temporary shelter and relocate to that shelter when possible. Call 911 if anyone needs medical attention and make sure that everyone is accounted for and safe.
• Attempt to find the source of the flooding if it is not from a natural disaster. Stop it at the source. Try to turn off any faucet or seal it up; turning off the main water valve may also solve the issue.
• Turn off the electricity, but do not attempt to reach the fuse box if you have to walk through water to reach it! If you cannot reach the fuse box without stepping in water, call an electrician.
• Document all the damage by taking photos and videos of all the affected areas. This information will be necessary for insurance purposes if you need to file a claim. 

The clean-up process:

• Never touch the water without the proper equipment, as it may be contaminated with sewage or other hazardous material. If you have to enter the establishment, wear waders or waterproof boots.
• All water must be removed and a wet vacuum or a pump must be used to dry things out.
• Salvage any items that were not seriously damaged; do not eat any food that has been contaminated by floodwater.
• If the water damage is not severe, you can dry the space out with fans and dehumidifiers. Keep in mind that anything that was touched by the water will also need to be disinfected.

Warm, damp spaces are an attractive breeding ground for mold colonies, so act as quickly as possible to prevent mold growth:

• Your property needs to be as dry as possible to prevent mold from establishing a colony. Once a mold colony gets established, it will be difficult to remove it completely. Keep the affected areas as dry as possible and treat them with a strong cleaner, such as a bleach solution. 
• Open all of your windows and doors to let fresh, dry air in to circulate. 

If the damage to your home is critical and you won’t be capable of fixing the issue by yourself, don’t hesitate to call us to assist you in getting your house back to normal. Here at SERVPRO of Huron and East Seneca Counties, we are experts when it comes to water damage repair and restoration, and we are mold prevention and remediation pros, too. We can get your home and business Certified: SERVPRO Cleaned!