It’s understandable that you just don’t know what to do in the minutes and hours after your home has been flooded. It matters not if the creek at the edge of your yard overflowed due to a storm, or your main water line burst. Your first thought after, “How could this possibly happen to me?” might be, “Is my home even salvageable after something like this?” But it’s important to keep as cool a head as possible and take some important steps.
Take Care of Your Health and Safety First
First, shut off the electricity at the circuit box. Shut off the gas, and then find the main water valve, and shut that off, too. If you have a private well, turn the pump off at the circuit box even though the water might still run for a while. Try not to touch anything floating in the floodwater because it’s most likely contaminated. If you have to move around in that water, protect yourself with boots and waterproof gloves. You may even want to put on a mask leftover from the pandemic. You might also want to find a long pole to sound the water and avoid areas where it’s too deep for you to wade in. If any food or medications not in airtight containers has come in contact with the water, you’ll have to throw it out.
Document, Document, Document
Take pictures and videos of everything, even things that you know you’ll have to throw out. Start a log to document everything that happened to your property because of the flood. You’ll need to show this documentation to your home insurer to start a claim. Ask the insurer if they can send or recommend an Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification mitigation contractor. This is a professional who comes to your property and works to stave off any more destruction caused by the flood. Many of them work with insurance adjusters to help people resolve their claims quickly.
What to Do Next
You’ll need to make sure that the kids and pets don’t go near the floodwaters. You might have to park them with a neighbor or a relative for a while. If it’s safe to do, move undamaged stuff to a place that’s dry and secure. Throw out things that have been waterlogged beyond repair, including carpets, mattresses, bedclothes and plushy furniture. You’ll probably need help to do this. Open doors and windows to allow ventilation. If you have battery-operated fans, use them to dry out whatever you can.
You and your home can recover from a devastating flood. But you need to act quickly and rely on the professionals who are available to help. If you live in Troy, OH or a surrounding area and need flood damage cleanup services, make your first call to Complete Detail Cleaning & Restoration.
