House floods can lead to a traumatic experience for homeowners. Whether the flooding is due to rainfall or hurricane, in either case it’s difficult to clean up on your own. A flooded house can be dangerous with contaminated water or damaged electrical wires. Hiring a professional help can save you the trouble and ease the situation.
In this article, we’ll highlight the immediate actions one should take if their house is flooded. While you wait for professional help to arrive, here are a few things you can do to keep yourself and your loved ones safe.
1. Prioritize your Safety
Always prioritize your safety and your loved ones in a situation where the house gets flooded. Immediately try to swift off the electricity at the main breaker to prevent electrical hazards. In addition, turn off gas and water supplies to avoid further damage.
In case of a burst pipe, you need to stop the water supply. Such situations need professional help for water damage repairs and restoration.
2. Document the Damage
After turning off utilities, take a quick look at your house. Take pictures and videos for insurance purposes. You need proof of the damage that has occurred to your property due to floods. In addition, take proper pictures of the level of water in your house and the property damage that it has caused.
Also, try to save all the receipts of the repair cost, to later be compensated by the insurance company.
3. Begin the Cleaning process
Once you have documented the damage, start the cleaning process. Begin with removing excess water out of your home. You can use buckets, pumps or wet vacuums, depending on the water level in your home.
In addition, in excessive flooding, call water damage restoration professionals. A team of professionals can remove excess water with proper equipment and ensure everyone’s safety.
4. Disinfect your Home Thoroughly
After removing the flood water from home, it’s important to disinfect it properly for everyone’s safety. The flood water has contaminants that can cause health issues in the long run if not taken care of. Clean the surfaces with a disinfectant or you can make a mixture of bleach and water.
Pay attention to the submerged areas and throw away anything that cannot be cleaned properly. For instance, mattresses and furniture items. Disinfecting your home thoroughly, ensures everyone’s safety. In addition, you can call professional cleaners to do the job for you and make everything easy.
5. Contact Professionals for Restoration
Floods can damage your property in several ways. Not only your belongings will be affected but also your property. It’s always a wise decision to contact a restoration company to help you restore your property to its original form.
A team of professionals is equipped and experienced to carry out such activities. They are trained to deal with such situations and ensure everyone’s safety in the process.
In essence, immediate actions in floods can help you keep everyone safe and sound. Also, it will minimise the loss and make the recovery process easy.
