There are few things more liable to ruin your week than a flooded home. It’s overwhelming to deal with so much immediate damage, and you may find that you have no idea where to begin. Do not panic – the experts at Resto Pros are here to share some important first steps you can take toward getting your flooded home back in order.
My House Flooded! What Should I Do First?
1. Safety:
You may have to vacate your home if the flooding is bad enough; upon reentering your home, wear a pair of rubber gloves and boots to avoid contact with harmful chemicals, sewage or debris.
*Pro Tip: Prepare ahead for any flooding disaster by having an emergency bag with rubber gloves and boots in a place you can easily access.
2. Find and Stop the Source of Water:
If your flooding has happened due to a problem inside your home, find the source of the water and turn it off or seal it up. The easiest way to do this is turning off your home’s main water valve.
*Pro Tip: Learn where the main water valve is in your home so you will know how to stop the water source in the event of a flood.
3. Turn Off Your Electricity:
Now that you have turned off your water source, you need to turn off all electrical sources in your home. If you are unable to reach the fuse box without walking through water call an electrician.
4. Evacuate the Property
Especially if the flooding is a result of a burst pipe or sewage leak, you should evacuate the house and property, making sure that all occupants, including your four-legged friends, are safe and accounted for.
My House Flooded! Who Do I Call?
1. If You Are a Renter:
Call your landlord and tell them what has happened.
*Pro Tip: Make sure you have your landlord’s number in your phone; you could also include a laminated card with the contacts you may need in your waterproof “emergency bag”.
2. If You Are a Homeowner:
Call your insurance company and tell them your house has suffered water damage due to flooding. Make sure to let them know if you need to wait for an adjuster to visit your home before the cleanup process begins.
*Pro Tip: Document everything – this is an important step to take before starting the cleanup process so you can show your insurer the extent of the damage. This may mean including a waterproof camera in your emergency bag, in case you are unable to access a working phone.
My House Flooded! How Do I Handle Cleanup?
1. Dry Your Floors and Air Out Your Home:
For this step, you and your family may need to stay a couple of nights with a friend or family. You will want to begin the process of drying your floors and airing out your home ASAP, so you should contact your local flood remediation experts and schedule an emergency water extraction and structure drying visit.
*Pro Tip: Local flood remediation and repair companies usually offer inventory storage and processing so you can have a safe and dry place to keep your salvaged items during the water extraction and drying process.
2. Professional Inspections
Once you have dried your floors, ceilings and walls, have your water damage experts inspect and remove any mold and test the air quality to make sure it is safe for you and your family to get back in your home. Then, you should call a contractor to inspect your home for any additional repairs that will need to be made.
3. Sanitize Everything
Everything in your house that was affected by the flood water – walls, floors, closets, shelves, kitchen contents, appliances – should be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected. While some of these can be done by you, you should have a professional cleaning crew do a deep cleaning and sanitization of your home, from top to bottom.
*Pro Tip: For the non-professional cleaning process, tackle one room at a time, and enlist the help of family and friends who you can assign to specific cleaning tasks. Use one bucket for the cleaning solution and another for the rinse water, changing that rinse water bucket frequently.
You are now armed with the knowledge and safety tips to say to yourself: “My House Flooded! I got this!” Don’t take these steps alone – contact the professionals at Resto Pros and allow our skilled and dedicated technicians to tackle the damage in your home!