Water Damage You Should Expect After a Home Flooding & What You Can Do to Restore It
With adverse weather brings the risk of flooding and that is everyone’s nightmare.
03/07/2019
With adverse weather brings the risk of flooding and that is everyone’s nightmare. Homes do become flooded and residents are left devastated as they look at all of their treasured possessions and realise that they will never be the same again and find that many of them are destroyed beyond repair.
After the shock and when the flood waters have subsided comes the clean up operation, the silt, the mud, the sand that has accumulated and the fabric of the house is usually completely saturated.
One of the first things that a homeowner will do is contact their insurer and have the damage assessed. The clean up operation should begin immediately and care should be taken to dry out your home completely. Depending on the severity of the flood, this process could take some weeks and it is unfortunate but you would be well advised to live somewhere else until the process is completed. If the flood has been particularly severe, you will have no choice but to move anyway.
Take pictures if you can, they are always helpful and do not be tempted to remain in your home as there could be all sorts of bacteria, chemicals lurking from the water and mold could be forming. Mold can form very quickly, sometimes within a day or so of the water ingress and mold does not take a lot of water to begin to form. You may wish to have a specialist advise you in mold prevention as once mold forms, it can wreak havoc throughout the building and it can have devastating consequences for the health of the occupants. Mold will form on carpets, paper materials, wood, cardboard and plasterboard so it is always an idea to get rid of as many items as possible to give your home the best possible chance of drying out and remaining mold free.
Your property should be properly secured, taking care to have it properly ventilated to allow the continued process of drying. You may want to hire a company to help you with this, a great option could be Prime Water Damage: http://www.primewaterdamagerestoration.com/
Once your home is dry, it may not be a case of just moving back in. It is at that point you will need to assess the long term damage. Fixtures and fittings may have to be removed. Walls may have to be opened to allow inspection into the structure of the building. You will need to have your property assessed for structural weakness and also for the possibility of mold growth. Mold can grow in all sorts of hidden corners. Often problems can exist in the structure of the building which are not visible and left unchecked, wet rot and dry rot can form, compromising the complete structural integrity of your home, so do not assume that just because everything looks alright, that it definitely is, call the professionals and have a thorough check. Your home is your investment but it is also where you live and breathe the air so care should be taken to have the situation properly remedied.