There are several different potential issues that you could be facing when you have water damage in your home. Fortunately, there are also a lot of tools and people out there to assist you with your struggles, no matter what the cause might be. A water damage emergency is always an emergency—getting rid of the water quickly will reduce the risk of mold and other potential dangers in your home.
Rule Number One: NEVER Enter Flood Waters in Your Home
If you have standing water in your home, stay out. It’s not safe for several reasons. It could be contaminated with bacteria or raw sewage, or it could be conducting electricity and create a huge risk of electric shock. There are so many other potential risks that it’s just not worth it. Wait for the professionals or get rid of the water before you try to get into your home.
Some people don’t heed this advice and nothing happens, which is why people still do it. However, think about all of the electrical appliances in your home and the potential bacteria and contaminants in the water that’s in your home—it’s just not worth the risk.
Rule Number Two: Call Restoration Professionals ASAP
Once you’ve realized that you have a flood or water damage emergency, you need to call a team of water damage restoration experts. They will guide you through the process and help you figure out where to go from here. They can assess the damage, get to the root cause, tell you who to call for help if they can’t fix the root problem, and even advise as to whether your insurance company will provide assistance. Make sure that you choose a reputable service that has plenty of experience with water damage so that you get the best results.
Rule Number Three: Get the Water and Items Out If You Can
It may not be safe to try to get the water out of your home or to remove the items that have been affected by water damage. However, if it is safe to do so, remove anything that you can. First, get rid of the water if it’s not subsided already. Then, remove your personal effects, keepsakes, sentimental items, and anything of value that might be able to be salvaged.
If it’s not safe to enter your home or to touch anything, don’t. Just wait for the pros to arrive and they can assist you with everything from here.
Rule Number Four: Call Your Insurance Company
You’ll want to do this early on to make sure that you know what damage is covered, if any, and how they are going to take care of things. For example, companies might send their own adjuster out to explore the damage and see how bad the flood is to determine reimbursement costs or coverage approval. Some may not cover all water damage-related flooding issues, so you’ll have to pay for everything out of your pocket.
You’ll never know until you call, though, so get on the phone as soon as you know you’ve got a restoration crew on the way.