Flooding impacts millions of homes each year. When it’s brought on by natural disasters, unforeseen accidents, or poor home maintenance, flooding is certainly a homeowner nightmare. To assist you to get your home and life back together after flooding, here are a couple of essential tips.
- Immediately call your insurance broker. Don’t throw out any damaged property until your insurance agent has inspected it.
- Produce a list of the damaged or lost items and take photos. Document the flood insurance claim that includes lists of broken items, photos, your policy number, name of the insurance company, and contact information.
- Prevent direct contact with floodwater, which can probably be contaminated. If sewage is backing up in the shower or under the toilet, your primary sewer line will likely be clogged or broken. If that’s the situation, stop using toilets or sinks and call your utility company immediately.
- Check for damage to your home, both outside and inside. Standing water may also be electrically charged from damaged power lines.
- If you suspect damage to utilities, then shut them off instantly if secure. Here’s the way to shut off utilities securely:
- Water — To close off water to your house, first find the master valve. You may find it in the cellar, garage, near the water heater (if you don’t have a cellar), or even outside your home. To learn more about water removal, check here.
- Electricity — Locate the main circuit box that’s mounted on a wall, typically from the cellar. Ensure it is safe to enter the basement first and bring a flashlight. Switch off the main switch in the panel to shut off all electricity on your property. If you see frayed electric wiring or sparks, call the utility company instantly.
- Gas — First, locate the shutoff valve on the riser pipe from the ground to your meter. If your meters are newer, the valve could be on the service line going out of your meter to the house. Use your hands or, if needed, a flexible pipe or crescent-type wrench to close the valve.
- As soon as you’ve shut off utilities, then telephone local police and wait for their approval to flip down them.
- To help save your flood-damaged home and contents, standing water needs to be removed and the area ought to be dried immediately.
- Based on the sort of floodwater, the type of contents, and how long they have been soaked, flood-soaked, porous materials like walls, carpet, or furniture may be either restored or discarded.
- Salvageable contents must be immediately dried and disinfected to prevent mold growth. Bear in mind, mold can grow over the first 24-48 hours after a flood. It is composed of moisture level reading and monitoring, water extraction, drying, disinfection, and deodorization.
To get water damage restoration, your best plan is to employ a professional restoration company that could quickly and economically execute the job. Our PuroClean professionals are trained in property damage recovery and react immediately to minimize the effect of the reduction. For emergency flood damage restoration, phone your local PuroClean office.