What To Do When Flood Takes Over Your House

Have you ever walked into your house to meet a puddle of water? Or have you being in a house whilst it’s flooded? There’s nothing worse than walking into a flooded or water-logged home. This article dishes out useful tips on how to control the damage caused when water invades a home.

I have experienced it twice; walking into a water logged house. It was dark that fateful day, Nepa had struck as usual. I only just got home after a tiring day at work, and all I wanted to do was to eat and crash on my bed. There wasn’t even food in the house – a bachelor’s life is like that. So at that point na to sleep sure pass.

I opened my door to walk into a dark living room, and for a moment I wanted to believe the miracle that happened during the time of Jesus Christ, when Peter walked on water had come alive in my room. I could swear I was walking on water. The only difference was that the water was not natural, it was a product if my carelessness. It wasn’t a sea, nor a river, not even a lake. It was water running from my tap somewhere in the kitchen. It was a disaster!

I had left my tap on before I left the house that morning. Unfortunately for me, the borehole had stopped running due to incessant power outage and I had completely forgotten to lock the tap. That night I couldn’t eat neither could I sleep, because I had to drain out as much as 10-15 ten litres paint bucket of water.  I had a hunch back after that misadventure that began some minutes past 7 pm to end just before 3 am. It was dreadful! No, it was hell! And when it happened again some months later, I knew then that the devil was definitely after my life.

A lot of people around the world experience flooding daily. Water damage at home or work is a common trend. Unlocked taps and leaking roofs have caused loss of properties since time immemorial. Here are ways you can control damage caused from a water-logged a flooded house.

Water Damage Control Tips

If you’re ever in the midst of a watery disaster, here’s what you’ll need to do:

• Stop The Flow.

Your first priority is stopping the flow of water. If you’ve identified the appliance that’s leaking, shut off water to that appliance. If you’re not sure where the leak is coming from, shut off water to the whole house.

• Minimize Damage.

As soon as you are cleared to remove the water, get it out of there. If you are removing the water yourself, then you will have to open doors and windows to help air out and dry the home. If possible, remove children from the home until the damage is assessed and contained.

Remove damaged possessions as soon as you can and start airing out and drying salvageable items. Mold can set in as soon as 24 hours after a flood, so the more quickly you can remove belongings the better. If items have been exposed to the water for more than 48 hours, it may be best to throw them out.

Remove flooring to expose the subfloor so it can start drying as soon as possible. Some wood subfloors can take months to fully dry. Floor padding will need to be discarded and replaced. Carpets and vinyl flooring that were under water for less than 24 hours may be salvaged if the water was not contaminated. Hardwood floorboards need to be dried slowly to avoid cracking and buckling.

All rugs should be professionally cleaned.

Get back to normal.

The extent of the flooding will impact the amount of work required to get your home back to its former glory. Minimal flooding may require only the time it takes to remove the water and dry everything out. More extensive flooding can leave you needing a complete remodel. Be prepared for the potential construction site left in your home after a flood.

In addition to structural materials, you will probably need to replace furniture and electronics as well, depending on the extent of damage. Make sure you take all potential costs into consideration when putting your home back together.

If you’re living in the home, set up dust barriers between construction areas and habitable spaces. Designate an area to hold displaced furniture and other belongings. Even if you’re able to cook, arm yourself with takeout menus: cooking in a construction zone can make everything taste like dust.