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Flooding is a genuine concern for any homeowner. The kind of flood that can damage your home can come from two sources: man-made or nature. Extreme weather changes are being linked to increased flooding all around the globe. You don’t necessarily have to live by a body of water to be at risk. Severe rainstorms can cause backups in storm sewers and that can threaten entire neighborhoods. As for the man-made risk, there is always the potential danger from old plumbing pipes bursting. Those risks increase in the winter when pipes freeze. Would you know what to do if your home was flooded? Here are the steps you should consider:
Step One: Cut Off the Water Source
If water is coming into your home from a burst pipe, then you could shut off the water valve and stop the flow of water. This is why you should familiarize yourself with that shut off valve for your home so that you won’t be scrambling to look for it in an emergency. If the flooding is occurring because of a storm surge, then you should try to find the access point and attempt to seal it up if possible.
Step Two: Shut Off the Power
Once you have identified the source of the flooding and attempted to stop it, you need to turn your attention to your power. Ideally, you should turn off all the power coming into the house by the fuse box. However, if you can’t reach that fuse box without crossing through water, then you should call an electrician to handle the job.
Step Three: Leave the Home and Call for Help
If the flooding continues unabated or you are dealing with a sewage backup issue, then you need to leave your home with everyone in the family including your pets. Once outside, you should call for help if anyone needs medical attention. You might also need to think about arrangements of where to spend the next night. In mass flooding situations there should always be shelter set up for local residents.
You only need to call emergency services if they have to respond to mitigate the situation. If you are renting the property, then you need to call the landlord and make them aware of the situation. If you own the property, then you should call your insurer and let them know that the home has been damaged by flooding. Before you begin the cleanup and repair process an insurance adjuster might have to come out to inspect the property. You want to make sure whether or not that is true.
Step Four: Take Pictures
Once your home has been deemed safe with regard to the electric power and the flow of water has stopped, you will want to take pictures of the damage. These aren’t for social media postings (although you can still do that!). Instead, these photos will be used to provide your insurance carrier with a look at the extent of damage. You should take both photos and videos of the situation. In order to get pictures from inside the house, you might want to put on protective gear such as waders, waterproof boots and gloves.
Step Five: Begin the Cleanup
Once you have been given the green light by your insurance company to begin cleaning and repairing, you will want to get all the water damaged items out of your home as quickly as possible. That is where a company like Junk Works can be a big assistance. They will send over a team of dedicated workers who are experienced with this kind of cleanup. The quicker you can get all of that water soaked debris out of your home the better it will be to prevent mold from spreading. Once Junk Works has cleared the property you can bring in industrial fans to dry out the area.
Hopefully, the only time you’ll call Junk Works is to help get clutter out of your garage and not for flood damage. They will be standing by in either case!
