What To Do If Your House Floods

2/21/2022 (Permalink)

If your home has been flooded, the proper steps need to be taken to ensure the safety of your family along with the integrity of the structure. If the levels of flooding are not severe, here are the steps to follow so your house can get back to normal in no time. If the flooding is severe, make sure to bring in the professionals to handle the issue. 

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

• Evacuate everyone from the premises as soon as possible once the flooding starts. 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 it 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. 

Next comes the clean-up process:

• Do not 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 of the water must be removed, and then a wet vacuum or a pump can be used to dispose of any standing water.
• Attempt to 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 too bad, dry the space out with fans and dehumidifiers. Anything that was touched by the water also needs to be disinfected.

Warm, wet 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 spores from growing. Once a mold colony gets established it is not possible to remove completely. Keep the affected areas as dry as possible and treat them with a strong cleaner, such as a bleach solution. 
• Open any windows and doors to let fresh, dry air in and circulate. 

If the damage to your home is critical and you doubt you are 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 Lockport/Lemont/Homer Glen, we are experts when it comes to water damage repair and restoration, and we are mold prevention and remediation pros, too.