Water in your house? (Don’t panic)
Water damage emergencies affect 14,000 people in the United States every day. Shocking, right?
98% of basements will experience water damage at some point.
The good news? With the right recovery plan in place, you can restore your home faster than you think. But first, there’s some bad news…
The first 24-48 hours are crucial. If you want to make a fast recovery, you need to move now.
What You’ll Learn:
- Why the speed of flood recovery is important
- First things you need to do after a water damage emergency
- How to deal with different categories of water damage
- When to call in professional restoration services
- Tips for dealing with home insurance companies
The First Hour in Flood Recovery
Time is the enemy in flood damage recovery.
Why?
Water spreads quickly. If left alone, damage gets worse, and so do costs. Restoring minor water damage in your home can cost $1500 today but $15,000 next week.
Scary fact?
Mold can start growing in 24-48 hours. If you don’t remove mold from your home, you are looking at major health hazards that can make your home unlivable.
Many homeowners who discover water in your Lancaster basement after an intense rainstorm think it’s no big deal and wait several days to start cleanup.
By then, what should have been simple water extraction turns into a full basement remodel, costing thousands of dollars more than necessary.
Lesson learned? Time is of the essence. The faster you act, the more you can contain damage.
Safety First – Check It’s Safe to Enter Home
Don’t go inside your home until you have established it is safe to do so.
Floodwater is toxic. It can contain sewage, chemicals, and all kinds of debris. Electrical solution may be damaged, which means electrocution risks.
Here’s your safety checklist:
- Shut off electricity from the main breaker if safe
- Check for structural damage like sagging ceilings or buckled floors
- Sniff around for gas leaks – if you smell gas, evacuate immediately
- Put on rubber boots, gloves, masks
Safety first, always. If you are not sure it’s safe, wait for professional flood damage services to arrive. Remember this, you can always replace your possessions. You can’t replace you.
Document Water Damage Before Cleanup
Could save you thousands of dollars.
Before you do anything else, take your smartphone and document damage with photos and video.
Take pictures and videos of water damage, affected belongings, water levels, and appliance serial numbers.
Why?
Insurance companies have to see proof to process your claims. The average water damage insurance claim is $11,605 but only if you can prove damages and losses.
A lot of homeowners lose thousands because they were not prepared with this important step. Make a detailed list of your damaged property with descriptions, purchase dates, and values.
The first 24 hours after water damage can make or break your insurance claims. Document, document, document. Get your home back to normal but save the receipts for later.
Tips for Getting Water Out
Water in your home is like a ticking time bomb. You have to remove it before more damage occurs.
If it’s a small amount of water, use wet/dry vacuums, mop up with towels, set up fans, and dehumidifiers.
If there’s a lot of standing water, you need to rent submersible pumps, use buckets if needed, and work from high to low systematically.
Important:
If you have sewage, chemicals, or flood water from rivers, lakes, and streams (Category 2 or 3) call professionals before doing anything else. Toxic water can make you very sick.
Once you remove the water, create cross-ventilation by opening windows, set up multiple fans in different rooms to create air circulation, run dehumidifiers to get humidity below 50%, and remove wet carpet padding and damaged drywall.
Dealing With Flood Damage Categories
Not all water damage is created equal. It’s important to understand water damage categories when recovering from a flood emergency.
Category 1: Clean water (broken pipes, rainwater) Safe to use and drink. Restoration costs around $3-4 per square foot
Category 2: Gray water (washing machine overflows, dishwasher leaks) Contains some contamination and costs $4-6.50 per square foot
Category 3: Black water (sewage backups, flooding) Not safe to use or drink, can make you sick and requires thorough disinfection. Restoration costs $7-7.50 per square foot
The bottom line? If you have Category 2 or 3, call in the professionals. Don’t risk your family’s health.
When To Call Professional Restoration Services
It’s never too early to call professional water damage services, but at a certain point, your insurance might cover some of the costs if your home was damaged suddenly and accidentally. That’s good news for you. You get the benefits of industrial-grade equipment at no or little extra cost. Time to put down the bucket and call pros.
The signs you need restoration professionals:
- A few inches or more of standing water
- Contaminated water, or Category 2 or 3 water damage
- Structural or electrical damage
- HVAC systems that have been flooded
Professional flood services have special equipment such as industrial-grade dehumidifiers, specialized tools for removing water, and moisture detection tools.
These are not available at local hardware stores.
Insurance claims are standard with homeowner’s insurance policies covering sudden and accidental damage.
Floods and storms from external weather systems are excluded unless you have flood insurance.
File claims as quickly as possible and keep good records of all conversations. Don’t throw away damaged items until the insurance adjusters have seen them.
Don’t Let Mold Move In
Don’t want mold to move in, right?
The key to flood recovery is to prevent mold from taking hold. It can make your water damage a major health hazard that costs thousands more to remediate.
Prevent mold with these steps:
- Get everything dry within 24-48 hours
- Apply antimicrobial treatments to surfaces
- Keep humidity levels below 50%
- Remove carpet padding and any other porous saturated materials
Your recovery timeline should look like this:
Days 1-3 – Emergency response
Days 4-7 – Continued drying and insurance
Weeks 2-3 – Repairs
Week 4+ – Final restoration
Tracking your progress on checklists keeps you focused and on task during a highly stressful time.
Preventing Future Water Damage in Your Home
Make sure to take steps so you don’t have to go through this experience again.
Prevention methods:
- Put sump pumps with battery backups in basements
- Improve drainage, clear gutters regularly
- Get flood insurance (activation takes 30 days)
- Develop emergency plans, know location of shut off valves
- Do regular maintenance checks
You are not alone
Remember, about 1 in 60 homes will file a water damage insurance claim every year.
Flood damage is the most common form of water damage, but other water problems like plumbing leaks and overflows also affect your home.
