Post Flood Damage Safety Tips for your Bristol home.

5/22/2015 (Permalink)

Water and flood damage.

Bristol Flood Damage Safety Tips

Floods are devastating, and dealing with one that damages your home can be a major pain. The big problem with floods is that the damage they cause can linger long after they are gone, so it's important to follow some post flood damage safety tips.

Cleaning up

Floodwaters that infiltrate your come can bring a toxic soup of sewage, gasoline, toxic chemicals and all kinds of pathogens. When you are doing flood restoration, you need to take safety precautions. If you have to wade into floodwaters to retrieve items or to help get the water out, make sure to wear protective clothing. And if you spend a significant amount of time in a room that has sustained flood damage, you should wear a respirator.

Throw out anything porous that came in contact with floodwaters. This includes carpet, upholstered furniture, large rugs, mattresses, paper items and even drywall. Clothing and small rugs that can be machine-washed are OK to keep, although they will need a thorough washing.

You have to make sure you thoroughly dry out the space to prevent mold growth. Ventilate the room and bring in large fans to run for at least 24 hours and longer if necessary. After that, you should use dehumidifiers to suck any remaining moisture out of the air. Before you do any restoration work, such as reinstalling drywall or carpet, use a moisture meter to make sure the room is free of moisture. If there is still moisture in studs, for example, it can lead to mold growth later on.

Once the area is fully dry, you should clean all surfaces thoroughly with a heavy-duty cleaner, preferably one that has bleach in it. This should include walls, floors, cabinets, counter tops and any solid-surface furniture that you salvaged.

Boil and treat your water

If you have a well, floodwaters may have infiltrated your water supply. Immediately after the flood, you should boil all water before drinking or cooking with it. As soon as possible, get your well water tested. If high levels of pathogens and particles are found, you will need to have your water source treated before you can safely use it again.

When your Kingsport home has water damage from flooding, we have the expertise and equipment to properly handle emergencies including Kingsport water damage, Bristol water removal, Mt Carmel water cleanup, Kingsport flood damage, Bristol flood cleanup, Mt Carmel flood restoration, Kingsport SERVPRO water cleanup, Bristol SERVPRO flood cleanup, Mt Carmel SERVPRO flood damage.

If you have questions about flood or water damage, call us today at 423-245-5552.