Remediating Flood Damage

9/1/2021 (Permalink)

Extreme weather in our area can often lead to flooding in homes. When a disaster like this strikes, the restoration service you hire needs to respond quickly and with the right equipment to not only remove water but to also begin returning your home to pre-damage condition as quickly as possible.

Remediating flood damage often starts with a source of power. If needed, SERVPRO work crews bring in a generator to provide electricity to our equipment and to also restore lights inside the home so they can work despite any further inclement weather.

Now, our technicians remove flood water from inside the home using pumps and extraction wands. If the sewer system is available, they pump the water directly into the nearest drain. If not, restoration teams can pump the water into the street to eventually drain and evaporate. If the water is contaminated and the sewer is still overwhelmed by the flood, team members pump the water into a tank truck for removal to the nearest water treatment plant.

Next, a SERVPRO inspector examines the home to determine what can be restored or requires disposal. Since carpets can absorb an incredible amount of water and remain restorable, he starts with those. Even a short time exposed to water can ruin a carpet pad, however; so the inspector has the team lift the carpet and throw out the pad. It is cheaper to replace one than spend the labor hours needed to attempt to dry and clean it. When the carpet is flooded from an outside source like a storm, however, it is also contaminated past the point of safely restoring it, and the inspector recommends throwing it out as well.

Before replacing the pad and laying the carpet back in place, teams use air movers to push warm, dry air over the surface of the floor to dry it and exhaust fans to pull any damp air out of the room and off the floor. These same devices also help dry the carpet before the teams tack it back to the floor.

After carpets, drywall paneling is probably more affected by flooding than anything else. The inspector examines each panel carefully for damage, removing the floor trim and drilling holes into the section behind them to check and allow water to drain if needed. If the panels have not absorbed too much water, technicians use air movers to force warm air across the surface gently and can attach a hose to direct the air into the wall space to carefully dry both sides.

The goal for SERVPRO of Texarkana is to return every home to what it was before the flood. If you are still dealing with the effects from the last storm, call us today at (903) 832-4400 to set up an inspection and receive a free estimate. We are here for you.