What Do I Do After a Flash Flood Damages My Sparta Home?

11/18/2021 (Permalink)

SERVPRO has the tools and skill to bring your basement back from water damage "Like it never even happened."

Our SERVPRO professionals can respond quickly to flooding situations in your Sparta basement to remove this threat and clean exposed surfaces. 

Flash flooding can surround your Sparta home with water and lead to substantial damages depending on where penetration occurs. As quickly as professional restorers need to respond to these situations, it is wise to approach these emergencies with the understanding of the present damage to avoid health hazards or threatening conditions. From the first notice of damage, our SERVPRO professionals can quickly mobilize to conduct a thorough inspection of the grounds to determine the best restoration solutions.

Addressing flood damage in Sparta homes in any capacity can be time-consuming, as these effects spread rapidly throughout the structure. Knowing how to respond to these conditions and where water is likely to enter your home can ensure that the appropriate preventative measures get taken to reduce the spread and severity of standing water and contaminants. Initially, homeowners can take some immediate steps to reduce the ultimate damage experienced, such as shutting off utilities to the house, removing your valuables, and getting everyone out of the house quickly.

How Can Flooding Enter Your Home? 

Flash flooding might seem straightforward, but there are many ways that it can enter your home. With the sudden onset of this emergency, there's little time to react when penetration has begun. In many ways, understanding the path that floodwater can take can showcase where damage might ultimately be the worst. Any path flooding takes to enter your home can lead to both structural compromises and a need for water damage repair. Some of the avenues that natural flooding can take to enter your home include:

• Drains - There are many reasons why natural flooding is considered a blackwater event. The sudden severe presence of water can overwhelm sanitary sewer systems and drains to allow for a backup into your home.
• Window Wells - Inset window wells provide openings to the basement level of your home and sit beneath the grade of the soil outside. When pooling water gathers around the outside of your home, these window wells can be openings for water to pour unabated into the lower level of your house.
• Through the Foundation - As strong and sturdy as masonry can be, concrete masonry units (CMUs) are not impenetrable when it comes to standing water or hydrostatic pressure. Any minor vulnerabilities can quickly become full-scale openings for water to pour into the basement.

What Must Happen to Resolve the Situation? 

Many people assume that they know how to resolve flood damages when they occur but fail to realize the extent of restoration and recovery needed. Each phase, from mitigation through reconstruction and build back, is a step in returning your property to its original condition. With a team of in-house contractors capable of helping with controlled demolition and repairs, we can offer a comprehensive solution for flood damages in the basement of your home. At its base levels, restoration after a flood begins in several specific areas:

• Extraction - Water removal is always one of the focal points of flood restoration. Flooding rarely occurs without leaving standing water, so we must utilize multiple extraction tools to remove surface water damage for more efficient and successful drying.
• Cleaning - Contamination, and debris are often threats that accompany natural flooding in the basement of your home. After controlled demolition and other materials get discarded that have become exposed to this category three loss, we can work on cleaning the surfaces left like framing, concrete, and masonry.
• Repairs – With a portion of our roster devoted to residential contractors, we have several technicians experienced in various building trades to offer repairs and reconstruction where it is needed.

How Can the Area Get Dried to Prevent Mold Growth? 

The presence of water after a flood can lead to moist and damp conditions throughout the lower level of your home. Within 48 hours, these wet pockets can facilitate mold growth. One of the most effective methods of preventing microbial threats is to dry the affected area as quickly as possible. As a reputable restoration company, we have industry-leading drying tools in our inventory to make this phase go promptly. While ultimately drying flood damage can involve dozens of machines and devices, some of the most commonly used are the following:

• Air Movers
• Dehumidifiers
• Electric Portable Heaters
• Floor Drying Mats

The full drying and recovery of your flooded basement level requires many steps. With experienced technicians and cutting-edge tools and technologies to help, our SERVPRO of Cumberland, Morgan & White Counties team can make flood damages "Like it never even happened." Give us a call today at (931) 250-5333.