The first thing to do after a flood is to determine the safety of the house. Below should be at the top of the list in ensuring safety:
* The building's structure is stable enough to be entered into. Water can weaken the structure especially in the portions made of wood. * Power sources should be turned off to avoid shock or fire. * Water sources should be turned off since this could be contaminated. * If water is still standing, one should be wary of the presence of serpents and rodents on the water. Such animals may have been carried by the floodwaters
When safety has been ensured, one may carry out basic water damage restoration procedures. Below is a brief step-by-step overview of what needs to be done.
1. Divert the water to another location outside you property. It would be impossible to perform any water damage restoration activity if the house still has standing water. 2. Bring out water-sensitive possessions such as carpets, rags, and paper products such as documents, books and pictures. Carpets and rags should be spread out on a flat surface. The ground, if dry, will do but a concrete surface would be better. Paper products can be dried in a variety of ways: air dry, use of dehumidifiers, or vacuum freezing. 3. Humidity in the house has to be brought down to speed up the drying. If humidity is not brought down, molds and mildew might develop and paper products and carpets will take time to dry. 4. Carpets will have to be brushed and shampooed. To disinfect, bleach solution may be applied using a brush. 5. Floors might have to be cleaned using shovels or brooms if mud and other debris are present. As soon as the floor is dry, a vacuum cleaner can help. 6. In most cases, the floors will have to be disinfected to prevent the growth of molds and mildew. Bleach solution or block salt can be used as a disinfectant. 7. After disinfecting, the floor may be dried using fans or dehumidifiers. Water restoration companies have specialized equipment for this purpose which are available for rent. 8. Wooden possessions such as furniture are not as easy to restore. Most of them will need the help of professionals. Attempting to restore such without the right training and water damage restoration equipment will put these possessions at a higher risk.
If one can afford a professional to do water damage restoration, it is advisable to avail of such services. These people have the right training and the appropriate equipment to get the job done correctly and quickly. In water damage restoration, time is a very important factor. Prolonged exposure to water can greatly damage certain possessions and restoration of such might be impossible.
During my childhood, we used to live in a town about 38 kilometers from the city. The house was made of wood and galvanized iron for the roofing, while a big lawn beside it boasted of some fine trees and flowers. It makes me sad to think that nobody now lives in this beautiful house which, a few years back, was threatened by severe destruction and had to go through some serious water damage restoration.
It was the tenth death anniversary of my dad and all of us siblings with our respective families visited his grave. After spending some time in the cemetery, we decided to visit our old house. Now that I think of it, it was quite unusual that we thought of passing by the house because we normally don't do so, as we all now lived in the city.
While we were still approaching, I could see from afar that the house looked very old abandoned. However, as we opened the main door of the house, it suddenly seemed that the house was too bright. And then we saw where all the light was coming from: right at the left corner of the house was a big, gaping hole. It was as if a big tree trunk had pierced the roof, down to the ceiling, and then to the floor, all in one hit. We can clearly see the bright blue sky. The area was damp and dirty and debris of broken wood were scattered all over the room. We had to stay away from the hole for fear that the roof and ceiling might cave in and fall on us, or the floor might give way. A quick survey of the house revealed that apparently, constant heavy downpours somehow took a toll on the house, requiring major water damage restoration on the house's roof, floors, walls, and ceilings. Had we thought to visit our old home earlier than that particular day, we could have saved the ceiling and the floor. The roof on the leak could have been repaired, and the whole accident avoided.
But well, after all is said and done, there was nothing we could do but go ahead with the renovation. A service company was called, and a professional tasked to asses the damage, estimate the cost of the whole water damage restoration work needed to be done, and finally, start the actual work.
Even with more than two people working on the house, it still took them some time to get all of the repairs done. The water damage restoration in this case proved to be quite tedious because many of the repairs involved removal of damaged parts and replacing with new ones. It was a continuous process of removal and replacement, which they applied on parts of the roof, the ceiling, and some wall segments. The floor also had to undergo water damage restoration, which included drying, cleaning, and polishing with wax.
Never again will we allow our home once so beloved, fall into such a state of neglect and disrepair.
Both Isolde Werry & Barney Ruch are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Isolde Werry has sinced written about articles on various topics from Home, Carpet Cleaning and Upholstery and Pets. Isolde Weery is a homeowner advocate on water damage for and. Isolde Werry's top article generates over 22200 views. to your Favourites.
Barney Ruch has sinced written about articles on various topics from Home, Sewage and Home. Barney Ruch is a house issue disaster writer for and. Barney Ruch's top article generates over 4400 views. to your Favourites.