[C356]Center For Disaster Recovery

Be safe - Do not step into a flooded basement first of all. Play it safe and turn off the power source that feeds electricity to the basement. If necessary, just turn off the main electricity plank of your home. No amount of insurance can cover the harm caused by electrocution.

Inform your insurance company - You don't want to empty your pockets cleaning-up the flooded basement when you have insurance. Take pictures or a video as proof that water damage has occurred and inform the proper insurance company of your water damages so they can start processing your insurance claim immediately. The water damages can either be covered by a homeowner's insurance or flood insurance policy depending on the source of flood.

Flood damage is generally not covered by a homeowner's insurance due to the existence of flood insurance. If you ended up with a flooded basement because of an accidental broken pipe or maybe your washing machine's hose took some damage, you can make a water damage claim covered under your homeowner's insurance policy. Word your claim carefully though, and do not use the term 'flood'. Instead, use the term 'accidental water damage' or your claim may be denied.

Any water accident that happens in your home is covered by your homeowner's insurance policy. Water seepage and flood caused by sump pump failure is not considered accidental but the consequence of poor maintenance.

There are two types of flood insurance offered by the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). Personal property and Building Property flood insurance coverage. If you live in an SFHA, your mortgage company usually requires you to purchase any of these or both. Flood, as defined by the NFIP, is partial or complete inundation of two properties or more or two acres or more of normally dry land. The flood is caused either by overflow of tidal or inland water, mudflow, unusual run-off of surface water from any source, or the uncommon erosion of shoreline along a large body of water caused by waves or currents. If your flooded basement resulted from any of these, then you can make a flood insurance claim.

Clean-up the basement - Once your basement is safe, and you've called your insurance company, you will want to clean-up the flooded basement. If the flood is minor, then you can clean the up the basement yourself. If it is major, then you will need professional help to do the job for you.

If you decided to do the job yourself, make sure you don't compromise your safety as the flood water can be extremely unsanitary. Wear the proper attire and gather the gear you will need to clean the basement up such as rubber boots, rubber gloves, mops, clean absorbent rags, antiseptic, soap, perhaps a waterproof sealant, pails and water containers, and a functioning sump pump.

If the task of cleaning up the flooded basement requires a professional, be sure to choose the right individual to do the job. Go for someone certified with the IICRC or the Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification. You can browse the IICRC directory at many sites online.

IICRC certified engineers have studied and have been trained in proper water damage recovery procedures and they will restore your home back to normal without damaging it.