Northeast Ohio Summer is coming to a close. One of the good things about heavy rainfall is green grass and fruitful crops, while the bad are flooded basements. Restoration companies were able to help a lot of customers this year with flood cleanup. In many situations there are more customers needing help than companies to assist them. If in a situation where you are looking for help, and unable to find it in the time frame that you want, here is a list of what you can do.
Many times heavy rains will shift logs or debris in the drainage system. This can cause a blockage, and water will back up into your home. One of the first things to think about is getting a plumber to assist with opening a drain. The city may only have responsibility from the street out, so you may be responsible from the drain to the street. Plumbers will book out fast – make them your first call, especially if the water seems to not recede. Water which floods your basement and then recedes may just be a result of too much water for the drains to handle. If this is the case you can do the following:
- Call a water cleanup team to assist you.
- Extract water with a shop vacuum or other acceptable device.
- Repackage salvageable contents, and avoid transfer of wet items to dry areas.
- Remove carpet padding and extract carpet.
- Keep air conditioning on and install dehumidifiers.
- Keep windows closed.
- Place fans for air movement.
- Bag and remove contents deemed non salvageable.
- Inventory items that are being thrown away.
- Seek advice from your insurance agent.
- Clean affected areas with a cleaning detergent or 10% bleach mixture.
Controlling humidity is the most important thing after water floods your home. Extraction of water and dehumidification are key to preventing secondary damages. Even if a water restoration team can’t make it to you in a timely manner and you choose to do it yourself, bring them in afterwards as they have the tools necessary to see if your efforts were effective. There could be missed pockets of saturation.
