We all would like to think that nothing bad could happen to our homes. However, situations do arise that are out of our control. You could be enduring a winter storm and the next thing you know a gush of water is flowing into your home because of a busted pipe. A hurricane could make its way into your area and flood your home. The question is what do you do once your home has sustained damage from the water that came? Several things do come to mind.
Get Everyone to Safety
When you encounter water damage, the first thing to do is to get everyone out of the affected area. If it happens to be the entire home, then evacuate the children and pets immediately. Second, turn off the water from the mainline. This will stop the damage from getting worse if it’s a burst pipe. Next, make sure to turn off the electricity for the entire home. If you have to walk through the water for any reason, you don’t want to get electrocuted.
Take Pictures and Document the Damage
For insurance purposes, it’s a good idea to take pictures, and write down the areas of the home that were affected by the water. If you can measure how much water is actually in your home, then do so. This will help when you are looking for your homeowner's insurance to cover some of the cost. Also, when the inspector comes to see the damage you will the proof you need. They will have done their own documentation, but you will have yours to compare against theirs.
Call a Reliable Company to Fix the Damage
You will need to call a company that offers water damage services to come in and fix the mess in your home. Some companies, like Water Emergency Services Inc, know that professionals would know how to extract the water to keep you from having mold issues. If mold is already present, then they would need to know how to extract it. Make sure you call at least three of these companies and compare the pricing along with the quality of service.
It is a tedious task dealing with water damage inside of your home, but these tips should make things just a bit easier to cope with. No one is ever really prepared for disasters to strike like this. The good part about it is that things can return to normal once the home has been repaired.
