Take the right steps to recover when your house floods.
Flooding is the worst natural disaster to homes and no one is flood proof. If the disaster hits and your house floods then here are some tips to help begin the arduous process of getting your life and house back together.
First things first. Call your insurance company. Find out the extent of your coverage and their schedule to come out and assess the damage. They should be out there quickly but chances are if your house flooded, many more did as well so you may be in a waiting line. They also should send out a water remediation specialist immediately to help.
Take photos and/or video of all damaged areas, furniture, equipment…everything and as the first step to recovery. When a house floods, you may need to start removing items immediately and can’t wait for the insurance reps or remediation specialists so document all damage prior to moving items to ensure proper coverage.
Before cleaning, turn the power off. Go to the breaker box and switch off those areas that will need cleaning.
Try to leave the dirty work to the specialists. Especially when it comes to exposure of mold or sewage or other water soaked items that could be health damaging.
Start throwing stuff away. Furniture that is wet needs to go. Wet carpet needs to be tossed. You may want to cut the carpet into smaller pieces so it’s more manageable. Be careful with wooden floors and tile. Water can get underneath and caught rotting it from below. Have a specialist make sure. There’s a machine that can dry it out but not if there’s too much moisture caught. The wood and tile will have to be torn up and thrown away.
Wet drywall will have to be knocked out and replaced and cabinets can be saved but tricky. You can drill holes in the toe kick and bottom to air it out and repair the holes later. Wet cabinets can be saved only if the water level is minimal.
Make sure to be there when the adjustor is there. You want very clear communication and agreement on what the adjustor cites and reports.
Your home, furniture, appliances, electronics can all be rebuilt or replaced. The one thing that cannot is lives. So when there is an even remote chance of flooding, take the family and pets to safety and wait it out alive.
Just another ShopRTO Lifestyle tip.
