Emergency Flood Cleanup
When you have experienced a flood, it is important to act quickly to prevent an escalation of damage from occurring to your property. Floods can result in incredible amounts of water damage to your property, so it is vital to ensure that you take every step possible to prevent this damage from escalating. Here are a few things that you should do immediately following a flood to ensure the most effective flood cleanup possible.
Make Safety a Priority
Though it is important to minimize damage as much as possible, your life is worth more than the costs of repairs. If the flooding is due to a natural disaster, you should never return home until the local authorities have declared it safe to return. If the flooding has occurred due to a plumbing issue, you will need to turn off the water in your home. Ensure that you carefully wash any part of your body that comes into contact with flood water.
Refrain from Using Electricity
It is a common concept that electricity and water don’t mix. For this reason, it is vital to ensure that you turn off the electricity in the present area. Don’t use any electrical appliances that have been affected by the water. Consult with an electrician to confirm that the electricity will be safe to use before you use it.
Stop the Water from Entering
If at all possible, it will be beneficial to stop water from entering the building. Preventing water from entering your building will help to prevent the damage from escalating. If the flooding has been caused by a plumbing issue, you will need to turn off the water to prevent the water from continuing to flood your building. Additionally, you should take care to shut all windows and doors if the water is coming in from outside.
Document the Damage
In most situations, you will need to document the damage in order to meet your insurance company’s requirements. It is similarly important to consult with your insurance company to ensure that you don’t do something that may negate your insurance coverage.
Remove Water from the Area
The longer water is left standing, the more damage it will cause to the building. Standing water can cause wood to rot and allow mold to develop. It can also attract pests to the interior of the property, which can cause a whole other slew of problems. You will also want to remove soaked furnishings and articles from the area to accelerate the drying processes of the room and individual articles.
Appropriately Disinfect
After an area has sustained water damage, it is incredibly likely that mold or other issues will develop. It is vital to ensure that the area is disinfected properly to minimize the likelihood of these harmful particles developing in your building. It is also important to ensure that you thoroughly wash any part of your body that has come into contact with the water from the flood. You may have to throw out specific furnishings or other possessions if the damage to them is too accelerated to repair. In some cases, you will be able to effectively disinfect a fixture with bleach.
Notify your Insurer
Every insurance policy is slightly different, so it is important to contact your insurance provider as soon as possible following the accident. They will be able to inform you of the steps they will require you to follow to obtain related compensation. It is incredibly important to notify your insurer, as your insurance may or may not provide compensation for flood-related damage.
Prevent Mold Development
Mold can cause a multitude of issues within a building. They can be particularly toxic varieties and can be incredibly detrimental to the health of anyone who regularly breathes in the air of the building. It is important to take all of the steps possible to prevent mold from developing in your building. Mold thrives in moist environments, so it develops frequently after water damage has occurred to a building. It is important to effectively remove water from the area, as well as ensure that the area is disinfected after a flood has occurred.
Ventilate the Building
Appropriate ventilation can help to enhance the drying process and allow fresh air to circulate through the home. Opening doors and windows can provide many benefits after your building has experienced flooding. However, it is important to keep in mind that you should only open these things if they won’t allow extra water into your building. For example, if the flooding is caused to excessive rain, you shouldn’t open windows until the rain has stopped completely. However, if the flooding is caused by the plumbing, you should be able to open the windows without exacerbating the issue.
Throw Away Contaminated Food
Food that has been contaminated by flood water is not safe to eat! Throwing away this food should be near the top of your to-do list after your building has flooded. If the food has time to dry out before you get to it, you may be unaware that it was impacted by the flooding. Though the water may have evaporated, the bacteria and harmful components will still be present, which can lead to many health concerns. It is incredibly important to ensure that any food contaminated by flood water is discarded to protect the health of anyone who may consume it.
Contact the Professionals
When your building has flooded, it is incredibly likely that the building will sustain extensive amounts of damage. For this reason, it is exceptionally important to ensure that you take whatever steps possible to prevent the damage from escalating. To meet these needs, you should hire a professional flood cleanup service. Here at TNT Cleaning Company, we have the experience and tools necessary to ensure that your building can effectively be restored to its prior condition. To learn more about these services and how they can prevent the damage from escalating within your building, contact our flood cleanup experts today!
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