If your flooded home was severe enough for you to evacuate, it is essential that when the floods have subsided, you observe safety measures as a significant priority. The damages you will encounter when you embark on recovery.
You will face structural damage, and the utility appliances may also pose subtle threats to harm.
𝟏. 𝐀𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐤𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬
Instances structural damages to watch out for:
● Warping
● Elements of the foundation that are cracked or loosened
● Holes
● Cracks
● Utility problems to watch out for:
● Gas connections
● Electric wires and other electrical appliances.
● Sewer lines
● Water drainage systems and outlets.
● Turn off the main switch and the water outlets that may still be running. You could talk to utility companies for expertise with the utilities once you have secured your safety.
It is recommended you carry a torch or candle to help you move about.
𝟐. 𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐚𝐬 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐏𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞
Before indulging yourself into repairs and moving the ruined things out of the way, take as many pictures of the house flooding to help you in your settlement claim with the insurance firm and your coverage could go up. It is easier to make copies of the pictures and store them electronically when they are in digital form.
𝟑. 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡
The water is not as safe as it is very possible that it was contaminated with chemicals that you use around the home or the sewage which possess risks of infections.
Thus you likely should wear rubber gloves and boots that reach to the waist to maneuver around a flooded house safely. Moreover, you should consume boiling water as you await the approval of the authorities.
𝟒. 𝐈𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐲
Together with your insurer, you likely should seek to establish the origin of the floods and the extent to which your benefit will begin. This is before you start handling the flood repairs.
There are cases where you may not be able to contact your agent due to the floods wrecking the community and not just you as an individual. Your agent may be thus handling settlement issues of their own thus it is wiser to reach out to the headquarters instead.
During the settlement procedure, you need to archive the damage caused and the discussions that will take place at different stages.
You should talk to them of immediate repairs that you mean to start working on to get their recommendation of either going ahead with the fixes or waiting for inspection of the home.
If the repairs and claims are minimal, the settlement could be done within a week, but if they are substantial, they consume a more lengthy period of up to 6 months.
𝟓. 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐚?
This is information that can be given by your insurance company. If the government declares your residence as a disaster area, your retrieve to resources and public services will be multiplied. This assistance can also come in the form of financial help.
𝟔. 𝐑𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐦𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬
When your house is flooded for 24 to 48 hours, mold starts growing. It gets attached to wet content mostly, thus anything that you think has been wet for not more than 48 hours can be rescued. This is part of flood damage cleanup and flood repair.
Be sure that with moving and salvaging through the parts, you have the approval of your insurance representatives to prevent interfering with your coverage.
The items being saved and those that cannot be recovered should all be photographed for insurance purposes particularly wallboards and baseboards of flooded apartments or flooded rooms.
If you cannot navigate through the mold by yourself, you could call a specialized company to handle the problem or other home flood repairs after a flood.
The more quickly you expose your property to dry conditions the quicker you will reduce of mold clinging to them and the quicker you will start on flooded house repair.
𝟕. 𝐇𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬
The structural damage can then be repaired after getting the green light from your insurance.
If you need a professional in repairing your flooded home, you could hire one after receiving the payout from your insurance firm. However, you could make repairs on little breakages if you are handy.
A construction company will help advice on how to best handle the flooding repair and to restore the former comfort of your home. They will talk to you on the steps to take where you are not confident, and they will help with major damage like the replacement of your walls.
You may not just free fixtures to the floods, but the electronics and other appliances may be wrecked too. You should seek professional assistance, especially with the electronics to check on the scale of the damage.
Plugging them in electric power before having them reviewed by relevant professionals will cause them to be wrecked further for instance by short-circuiting.
The flood damage repair process should be thorough to every corner of your home. To prevent mold from growing and expressing its risks, you should look at every corner.
Mold can cause illness and be exposed to the wetness will prove the building to constructional faults. Your flood damage restoration efforts should thus be thorough to get everything back to their former operational condition.
For more information on what to do during the first 24 hours after a flood, contact us today: (919) 335-7556