After a home has been affected by natural disaster flood, they have probably already been displaced from their home for at least a few day and in many cases this absence from the home could last for weeks depending on the amount of water that invaded the house In homes that were flooded severely like occurred when hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast a few back, thousands of homes had several feet of water that hung around for weeks.

When the flood water finally did recede, the ones that had terrible damage inside their homes had no question whether or not they were going to move back in right away because there was mud and sewer sludge that covered everything that was under water, There was no way they could even consider living in a home with this kind of destruction. There was mold growing everywhere that was plainly visible. They had snakes and other kinds of insects and vermin that had took up residence.

The restoration that people that had homes with this amount of water damage had to find a new place to live for months because there simply was no quick fix to damage this bad. Not all homes, however, had damage that was this bad. Some places that might have been on higher ground may have only got a few inches of water. These were the very lucky ones. In many natural disaster home flooding cases this will happen. The home can only get enough water inside to soak carpets and the bottoms of walls. This amount of water usually does not take as long to recede because it might come from a nearby creek or even just torrential rainfall.

When this is your situation and the water has gone out, some people, especially those with a second floor, might be tempted to move back in and work on the home while they are there. Any water damage professional will tell you that this is probably not a good idea. Even when a home has only been flooded with a foot or less of water, there are still dangerous consequences to deal with. Once the water has been removed and dried, there can still be extensive clean up to be done. There might be mold that has to be killed as well as tremendous disinfecting of everything contaminated by the water. The home can be filled with mold spores and bacteria that can and will make you sick.

If at all possible it is wise to not take up residence in your home again even after the water is gone until you are positive there is no mold and all disinfection has been completed. It is simply not worth the risk, especially if you have children.