3 Important Things To Do When Facing A Flooded Home
Posted on: 13 August 2017
Have you recently moved to an area where flooding is a possibility? Do you know what to do if your home is flooded, whether by natural means or by a burst pipe? No matter how it happens, having a flooded home is never something that anyone actually wants to deal with. But by being proactive after it happens, you can take steps to minimize exactly how much damage that you'll have to actually deal with. In order to reduce the impact of a flood or of a leak, some of the most important steps that you can take first include:
Call for professional assistance: If you're only dealing with a pipe that burst under your kitchen sink and leaked for a few minutes, you may very well be able to deal with the aftermath yourself. For all other situations, however, calling a water damage restoration company can be essential to getting your house back to the way it was. The professionals will be able to more easily assess the damage and decide what needs to be replaced and what can simply be dried off. They'll also have professional chemicals that will prohibit or slow the growth of mold or mildew to further protect your belongings.
Photograph the area: Not all insurance policies will cover water damage, no matter where it comes from. But if you're one of the lucky people who had the foresight to add additional flood coverage, whether or not you actually live in a flood plain, then insurance is likely to cover the bulk of the damage. Take as many pictures of the flooded area as possible, so that you have proof of the situation. You should also contact your insurance company as soon as possible to get the claims process started so that you'll be able to pay the water damage restoration company.
Remove as much water as possible: Whether you have to deal with this situation due to widespread flooding or a cold snap that burst a pipe, the water damage restoration company may not be able to get there immediately. The company may need to wait for widespread flooding to go down before they can use the roads or other people whose pipes burst may have contacted them before you did. As long as the flooded section of your home is safe to enter and the electricity has been turned off, use a mop, towels, or a portable water pump to remove as much of the water from your home as possible.
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