Reducing Damage In Your Home After A Flood Occurs

When water gets inside a home, it has the power to destroy all items within its path. Because of this, it is important to work swiftly at eliminating water so it does not have the chance to cause excessive damage. Here are steps to take immediately after water gets inside your home to aid in reducing the amount of damage caused to your building's structure and personal items.

Contact A Water Damage Restoration Service

As soon as excessive water is noticed inside your home, contact a water damage restoration service in your area for assistance. This type of service works around the clock to remove moisture from homes where flooding occurs. They have high-powered equipment available to redirect water and dry building materials that become saturated. If the flood in your area is affecting more than just your home, making a call right away makes the difference in where you are on a scheduling list for service. 

Do Your Best To Save Personal Items

The quicker you remove personal items from floodwater, the more of a chance damage is less likely to occur to them. If the flood is caused by a nearby body of water in your area, protect your arms and legs with waterproof clothing. Remove items you believe are able to be salvaged from the floodwater and place them in an area away from moisture. Use a fan to aid in drying these items. After they are dry, wipe them down with a cleaner to remove any possible mold spores from their surfaces. Dry the items in their entirety again.

Remove Water On Your Own If Possible

If you own a water pump and you have electricity available to run it, use it right away to eliminate pooled water from your home. If a water pump session is not possible, remove water from your home with the aid of buckets. Scoop water and place it in an area at a lower elevation from your property. Enlist help from friends or neighbors to make the process easier and to help reduce the amount of damage to your home's building materials.

Use Drying Techniques And Be Aware Of Mold

If you are able to remove all of the water from within your home, drying the walls and floors is necessary to help keep building materials from needing replacement. Use high-powered fans for this purpose and keep windows and doors open to speed up the process. Be aware that any surface where floodwater has touched is at risk of molding. Use an appropriate mold removal agent on these surfaces or contact a mold remediation or water damage restoration service to tend to the task.