While Florida experiences some of the warmest year-round weather in the country, this sometimes comes at the price of torrential rains and hurricanes. These weather events damage property with high-speed winds and flying debris and can also cause flooding when the rain refuses to stop, raising water levels and flooding homes and businesses.
A flooded home may not seem like a major issue to someone who’s never experienced it, but the ignorant don’t realize this doesn’t just mean waiting a few hours for the entire house to dry out. Flooded homes can destroy irreplaceable items inside, and damage the structure, electrical wiring, and even the foundation of a home, depending on the extent. They also pose a health risk to residents since flood water can come from any source, including sewage and industrial sites.
This is why professional emergency flood clean-up teams, like First Call 24/7 Inc., are the best way to address this challenging situation. These teams have the experience, know-how, and gear to do the job efficiently and safely, but how exactly do they work?
Flood Damage Inspection
The first thing that happens is a safe, thorough home inspection. Depending on how serious the flooding is, the power situation in your neighborhood, and whether you had time to shut off the electricity, there may be a live current coming from submerged outlets, electrifying the water.
On top of this, the water itself may be toxic or viral. Flood waters from an industrial site, for example, may contain chemicals hazardous to people, while backed-up sewage is full of pathogens from human and animal waste. Without proper protection, there is a risk of illness for everyone exposed to the water, with children, the elderly, and pets being the most at risk.
In addition to the health risk, the inspection will determine the extent of the flood damage and what steps must be taken to address it.
Excess Flood Water Removal
If standing water is left in the home, this is the priority. Even if the standing water is “white water” or “grey water,” which is comparatively safe, if left alone for enough time, it can stagnate and become “black water,” once again raising health risks.
Wet vacuums or submersible pumps may be used depending on how much standing water remains. These more specialized industrial tools are capable of removing hundreds of gallons of water in a short amount of time. This is entirely dependent on the level of remaining water in the home.
Drying Out The Moisture To Prevent Mold Growth
Once the water has been removed, that is only half the battle. Lack of water does not mean lack of moisture, which is the difference between a damaged home and a recovered one. Depending on how quickly the water was removed, carpeting, furniture, and other home items may be removed and recovered. However, for crawl spaces, walls, flooring, and other structural items, water remains inside these spaces.
If allowed to remain, this can weaken the structure; in some cases, things like walls, floors, and ceilings may sag and have a much shorter lifespan than intended. Most dangerous of all, however, is that dark, damp spaces are a breeding ground for mold. If a mold infestation occurs in a home, it is extremely difficult to get rid of and, while present, poses big health risks for all the people breathing in the spores. Those with existing respiratory conditions, such as asthma, will be at particular risk.
Emergency flood clean-up teams use a spectrum of tools, such as moisture meters, to track pockets of moisture in a home. Once detected, equipment like Injectidry systems can inject drying air into everything from floors and ceilings to even cabinet spaces. Dehumidifiers can also be used to draw out remaining moisture from the air itself and any other sources in the home.
If you have a flood situation and want a South Florida emergency flood clean-up team to recover and restore as much as possible contact First Call 24/7 Inc.
Serving the entire South Florida region, including Fort Lauderdale, Plantation, Sunrise, and Pompano Beach, First Call 24/7 Inc. provides fast, professional, 24-hour emergency cleanup services for all situations where water has caused residential or commercial property damage.
