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What to Do When your Basement Floods
12/1/2020 (Permalink)
SERVPRO of North Rensselaer/South Washington Counties extracting water out of a customer's basement in Troy, NY
What to Do When Your Basement Floods
When a basement floods it is a stressful and confusing time. There are several different reasons basements can flood: a broken water pipe, heavy rainfall, or even a sump pump failure. Fortunately, here at SERVPRO of North Rensselaer/South Washington Counties we have been able to help families with flooded basements all around our local area and are ready to help you! Here are some important steps to take when dealing with a flooded basement:
- Turn off your electricity. This is the first step you want to take as soon as you can safely navigate to the breaker box. Appliances or wires may be in water so there is a good chance there is an electrical current traveling through standing water. This can be deadly! You would want to contact an electrician or electrical company if you are unable to turn it off safely.
- Find/Stop the source of the flood. If you discover the flood is plumbing related you will want to turn off your home's main water valve. If you discover it is rainwater that is flooding your home you will want to use sand bags or flood bags to create a barrier.
- Remove the water. You can use a shop vac, mopping, or blotting to do this depending on the severity. However, the more water you can pick up the better!
- Remove affected materials. You want to dispose of flooded carpeting or padding that is unsalvageable. Other porous items such as wooden furniture or sofas need drying as soon as possible to salvage them!
- Did you know that mold can start to develop within 24 hours of introduction to water? It is crucial to dry and disinfect the area properly in order to keep mold and bacteria from growing and spreading.
If your home suffers a water damage from a flooded basement, you want to check your insurance coverage to see what is covered. We here at SERVPRO of North Rensselaer/ South Washington Counties have years of experience and the resources to help with all your water damage needs. And we are prepared to get your home back to pre-flood conditions, “Like it never even happened.”