As you go about your day at work, the chances that you are anticipating a disaster at home are slim. But there have been times when people have come home from their daily duties and activities to find a small flood in their laundry room, bathroom or kitchen. If this should happen to you, use this guide to get to work to save what you can before the water damage restoration professionals come.
Find the Main Valve and Turn the Water Off
Turn off the main water valve. Look for this valve is outside your house. Depending on where you live, this valve will be attached to your home, or you may have to turn the water off at the meter. Call your water company to let them know what has happened, as they may have special instructions for you.
Get Some Help to Remove the Water
Go to your neighbors and ask if they have a shop vac. You might need more than one. A trip to the home improvement store to purchase or rent one or two might be requires.
Call as many people as you can to recruit some help to operate these machines to suck up and remove the water from the area.
Prop Up the Furniture
If the flooding has reached your furniture, you need to try and care for it quickly. If it is wood furniture, use a towel to dry it as much as you can.
Grab some cans, blocks, bricks or whatever else you can find that you don't mind getting wet, and set them underneath the legs of the furniture so that they are entirely above the water, or at least off the wet carpet.
Smaller pieces of furniture can be brought outside to dry in the sunlight.
Remove as Many Smaller Items as Possible
Flooding can severely damage small items like books, photos, or decorations. Due to the sentimental nature of these sorts of items, remove as many of them as you can. Place them in a dry place or on your porch to dry in the sunlight if possible. If books have gotten wet, open them out so that the inside pages can dry.
Operate the Fans
Use your indoor fans to create air circulation, which will help items dry quicker. If you have portable fans in addition to your ceiling fans, use those as well. Point portable fans toward areas that are particularly soaked, like carpet or furniture.
As your home is drying out, call a water damage repair company to check it out. They can provide further instructions on how to limit the damage.
Share2 July 2015
I never thought much about natural disasters when I was living in the middle of the country, but relocating to the coast brought the threat of hurricanes. A few years ago a big storm ripped off part of our roof after we were evacuated. Arriving home to half a foot of water standing in every room was shocking and scary. Some helpful and reassuring damage contractors managed to save our beloved home, despite all the wind and water damage left behind by the hurricane. Now I spend my spare time advocating for families that need help with storm damage so they get the best results.
