A flood can hit just about any time when heavy rainfall occurs. When it happens, it causes a lot of damage to your home and belongings. While the aftermath of a flood can be devastating and damaging, there are a few things you can do if you know that possible flood conditions are imminent. While you won’t be able to get away from flooding completely, you can at least take these steps to try and minimize any damage that may occur. Today, we’re going to take a look at how you can prepare for a flood and what steps you can take in its aftermath, including who to call for flood restoration.
Prepping for a Flood
To prep your home for flooding, here’s a handful of things you can do to minimize the amount of damage that occurs:
- Elevate and secure your utilities including wiring, heating systems, electrical panels, sockets, and propane tanks. If these get damaged from water, you can run into serious issues.
- Clear the debris from your gutters. This ensures that rainfall will flow through the gutters and to the ground, ideally offsetting any water that may build up and cause water damage.
- Remove furniture from areas that are prone to flooding. Move them to another part of the house, like the attic or an upstairs room where they will be safe.
- Waterproof your basement. You can do this by purchasing a working sump pump and a battery-powered backup in case of a power outage.
- Above all else, make sure you and your loved ones are safe.
What to Do if Your Portland, OR Home Floods
While prepping for a flood can help minimize issues, you also need to be prepared to deal with a flood if it does occur. Here are the steps you need to take if your Portland home floods:
Shut Off Power
This is especially applicable if the floodwaters are so high that they’re touching wiring or a circuit breaker. This is when you need to call in a professional to properly handle this. Otherwise, you run the risk of causing harm to either yourself or your loved ones.
Remove Excess Water
Next, remove all excess water from the area. Your sump pump may have malfunctioned and not been able to remove the water in time. Getting a new sump pump or using something like a shop vac to remove the excess water will help with the next steps of the process.
Remove Any Water-Damaged Items
Next is to get rid of any water-damaged items that still might be in the area. Maybe you didn’t get to certain pieces of furniture in time, or you forgot to grab that box of Halloween decorations you decided to store in the basement. Either way, removing things like boxes and furniture from the area makes cleanup easier. It also helps prevent mold from spreading.
Clean Up the Mold
Mold always happens after a flood. It’s unavoidable, which is why you need to hire a flood restoration team. Professionals can use an industry-standard cleaner to kill and remove mold from the area.
This cleaner will work better than standard bleach and can ensure that the area stays clean and free of mold. Mold starts to form within 24 hours after a flood, but it can take up to 3 weeks for spores to become visible. You must get the mold removed from the area as soon as possible, before it grows and causes issues in your home.
Remove the Remaining Moisture
The most important step is to remove any remaining moisture from the area. This entails running a dehumidifier that will pull remaining moisture out from every surface. This not only helps to dry out the area; it also minimizes the chance of any kind of mold growing back.
Start the Rebuilding Process and Call a Flood Restoration Company
Your last step is to start rebuilding any water-damaged areas. Water damage can weaken anything it affects and can cause serious structural damage if not properly addressed. In this instance, you’re especially going to want to replace things like drywall and carpet to prevent any further water damage or mold growth.
As part of this rebuilding process, you also need to call a flood restoration professional. They can help your home get back to normal.
If You Need Someone to Restore Your Home After a Flood, Call PNW Restoration for Quality Flood Restoration Services
If you’re looking for someone to help restore and repair your home after a flood, call PNW Restoration 24/7 at (971) 247-3381. We have a team of flood restoration professionals standing by to take your call.
Our 24/7 emergency line can send someone to your home as soon as possible. We’ll come out, evaluate the situation, and immediately address the problem. If you want fast response times and quality work done right, call PNW Restoration today.
