Recent Flooding? Read This!

9/27/2017 (Permalink)

Recent Flooding? Read This!

With the recent hurricane events grabbing the public's attention, the specter of flood damage has once again come to the fore of every property owner's mind. Although flood damage that results from external standing water, such as the water damage seen in natural floods or hurricanes, is often among the worst kinds of flood damage, being impossible to restore until the water levels return to normal, this can obscure the fact that the vast majority of water damage in the United States each year comes from internal sources, such as supply line breaks or pipe breaks.

The good news is that supply line breaks, pipe breaks and other sources of flooding that don't result in long-standing external flood waters almost always create water damage that can be 100 percent reversed through professional mitigation and restoration efforts. But this relies on the property owner calling in a professional restoration company as soon as possible.

If a restoration company can arrive on the scene of the flooded home or business within the first 24 hours, there is a nearly 100 percent chance that the flooded home or business will be able to be restored fully to its pre-flood damage condition. However, waiting more than 24 hours to begin the restoration and flood damage mitigation process begins to substantially increase the chance that the flooded home or business will incur lasting and serious damage. Unfortunately, many properties with water damage that do not undergo restoration and mitigation efforts within the first week of the water in the home or water in the business appearing will sustain long term, severe damage. In many cases, this will result in the complete loss of the property.

The professional restoration and mitigation process


Luckily, there is an established process that most restoration companies follow that has been proven over decades to be an effective means of restoring flooded homes or businesses to their prior condition. The most important thing that a property owner who notices water in their home or water in their business can do is to immediately place a call to their local flood restoration company.

The call to the restoration company is made


The first step in the water cleanup process is for the property owner who has noticed water in their business or water in their home to immediately call in a water cleanup team. The professional water cleanup team will often be able to arrive on scene within 30 minutes of the call being placed. This rapid response will ensure that the supply line break or pipe break can be remediated as quickly as possible and that the water cleanup process can begin, before the water has time to seep into structural components and begin seriously damaging the property.

The team arrives


Upon arrival the team will immediately look for the source of the flooding. The supply line break or pipe break will be fixed and the extent of the water in the home or water in the business will be surveyed.

Standing water will be removed


Using industrial-strength vacuum equipment, the team will begin removing all standing water from the premises. This equipment is capable of removing thousands of gallons each hour and so the removal of standing water typically lasts less than one hour.

The drying process will begin


The next step is to begin the drying process. Using heavy-duty drying equipment, the team will be able to raise the temperature of soaked areas to just below their flash point, minimizing the total time involved in drying the property. The drying process is often the longest element of the total cleanup process, usually taking between a few hours and a day.

The team does the final cleanup


This involves cleaning all surfaces and furniture that was flooded. This will ensure that any burgeoning mold growth is stopped in its tracks. The property will now be restored to its original condition.
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