Remediation Tips for Floodwater Damage

8/26/2021 (Permalink)

Floodwater damage in your New Bern, NC home can lead to other further damages if it is not remediated as it should.

It is not uncommon for a heavy storm to flood homes in New Bern, NC. If this happens to your house, water damage from the excess moisture is only part of the problem you must resolve. Your home must be dried and disinfected before the structure can be repaired and rebuilt. Floodwater from storms is contaminated, so extra precautions must be taken to ensure that everything it brings into your home is dealt with appropriately. Here are some tips on how to handle it.

What Is Black Water?

Water that results from a storm is very different from the substance that flows out of your faucets. Black water is contaminated, potentially containing several substances you don't want in your home:

• Sewage
• Grease
• Bacteria
• Debris

Even if you remove all the water and get every surface completely dry, you may still notice an unpleasant odor in your home. That is the result of the contaminants that the floodwater left behind. The smell will not go away on its own, and it may even lead to bigger problems as the bacteria multiply and other remaining contaminants degrade surfaces. In order to get rid of the smell and the risk, you have to remove the substances that cause them.

What Measures Must be Taken?

After flood damage mitigation specialists assess the mess the storm made of your home, they tackle the problem. They start with removal. All standing water must be pumped out as quickly as possible to avoid further damage. Then the initial drying process starts to prevent mold growth. Meanwhile, any drywall, carpet, flooring, or other porous materials that have water damage from the floodwater must be torn out. Contaminated materials are typically unable to be salvaged; technicians must replace them later in the process.

Once all the water and ruined materials are gone, the entire affected area must be cleaned. Technicians use industrial cleaners and specialized equipment to ensure not only that the surfaces are free of toxins but also that any bacteria left in cracks and crevices are gone as well. If you want to salvage any of your belongings affected by the flood, they, too, must be thoroughly cleaned and dried before you bring them back into your home. Rely on the expertise of the mitigation specialists to determine whether something can be cleaned or needs to be replaced altogether.

Even though your home is clean and dry, the restoration process is not complete until it looks like it did before the storm. The remediation team rebuilds the structure, replacing walls, flooring, and ceiling tiles. Then the technicians match the look of the new materials to the remaining structure so that no one can tell where the damage was.

Taking care of water damage from a flood may be more complicated than you expect, but every step of the process is necessary. When contaminated water comes into your home, you want to make sure that every surface is disinfected and dried before you and your family move back in. With thorough mitigation, your home will be back to normal in no time.