Even in 2015, the threat of flooding is still real. Despite our technological advancements, climate predictions, and flood control techniques, we remain almost powerless against Mother Nature when she decides to send her hostile waters on our path. So far this year, South Africa and East Malaysia have both been ravaged by catastrophic floods that have left hundreds dead and thousands homeless.
In Las Vegas, flooding is generally much less severe, but even these more menial flooding experiences can be dangerous. Burst plumbing and heavy rainfall can put your family at risk for electric shocks and often ruin homes, leaving families poor and without a place to live. However, if you act quickly, you can minimize the damage and even save some of your property that would otherwise have been lost.
Do you know what to do during a flood? Most people are already aware that the demands of post-flood cleaning are far beyond the capabilities of most home cleaners. Improper cleaning of drywall and other common materials found inside the home can cause all kinds of damage. Under these circumstances, you’ll need to turn to a professional cleaning company like pinnaclerestorationinc, who can navigate the shock, infection, and drowning risks of a post-flood cleanup while still giving you incredible restoration results.
While professional help is essential, you may be able to do a little while you wait for help to arrive. Doing the right thing can help preserve your property and save many personal items. Taking the wrong course, however, can make the damage worse and put you at serious health risk. Read on to learn some practical tips on preventing flood damage restoration!
Unplug your electronics and remove them as quickly as possible .
Your electronics are probably some of the most expensive items in your home, and unfortunately they are also the most vulnerable to water damage. If you can get these items out of the water, you will be much more likely to successfully rescue them. This means turning off circuit breakers, unplugging everything you can safely reach, and moving all electronic devices up high and in a dry area of the house. Do not attempt this step under any circumstances if the water level has risen everywhere near your electrical outlets.
Save all the rugs you can.
Even the most sophisticated of water damageservices will have a hard time helping you with a musty, waterlogged carpet roll. Even heavy cleaning efforts will have limited effectiveness, and will likely make your carpet smaller in the process. When possible, remove all rugs including wall-to-wall rugs, area rugs, and their under padding. You should try to move them.
Preserve your precious memories .
Collect all the valuable items you can and put them in a safe, dry place as soon as possible. Only you can decide what is really the most important for you to preserve in this limited time in which you will have to act. Many families will opt for old photo albums, digital memory cards overflowing with photos and boxes of embarrassing family videos. Whatever you choose to save, you’ll need to act fast and get them as high as possible.
Prevent mold growth in your path.
As you make your final post water damage preparations, you should take a moment to make sure you prevent excessive mold growth. If you leave things where they are, you’ll leave plenty of room for bacterial cultures and mold spores to move around inside. Moving all rugs, curtains, drapes, and potentially absorbent furniture to risky areas will go a long way in discouraging mold growth. When possible, opening windows or turning on fans is a great way to decrease humidity and promote air drying.
Although these methods of preventing water damage are effective means of minimizing the worst-case scenario, they are obviously not big enough to fight against the floods per se. These additional steps should only be performed after you have contacted pinnaclerestorationinc water damage restoration professionals. Our team of highly skilled and professionally equipped workers is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We operate with the urgency and care that a disaster of this magnitude demands.
