Preparing For A Post Flood Cleanup

Floods are very damaging and very frustrating, but there are some maintenance steps that you can take now while the sun is shining. 

Flood Cleanup In Bakersfield

Here are a few things that you can do to prepare your home before a flood hits:

Cleaning The Gutters And Downspouts

Floods occur when heavy rains or melting snow causes a river to rise and flow over its banks. Since they can also cause outages, disrupt transportation, and damage homes, it is advised that you perform routine maintenance to protect your property.

Annually, or more often if possible, check and clean the gutters and downspouts. Keep up with getting rid of leaves, mulch, and debris in your drains and ditches. Regularly rake up leaves and bag the debris for pick up or compost in a secure area. Call your city or municipality if you see debris that would clog a common drain.

Check Your Home’s Sealant

As part of your yearly home maintenance, check the seals on all openings: doors, windows, utility, and exhaust penetrations. Regularly inspect your foundation and seal any cracks with masonry or mortar caulk. Make sure all windows including the basement are functioning and properly caulked. Without the proper caulking or sealing, your home can begin to flood without you noticing quickly enough, causing the cleanup process to become arduous.

Consider installing water sensors or flood detection systems to give you some advance notice if you are out or asleep. More sophisticated leak detection systems can connect your smart home to alert your phone before it’s a total disaster and having to deal with major flood cleanup services. 

Check The Grading And Drainage

Improve grading and drainage around your home. Next time it rains, step outside and see if you can notice where excess water pools near your home, especially near the foundation. The ground should slope away from the foundation of your home or business. Consider attaching flood skirts or barriers to windows and doors and around air bricks to better assist your home. Having these parts of your home prepared helps you avoid a more devastating and extensive flood cleanup.

If You’ve Been Flooded

Stay safe and avoid walking into standing water. There is a good chance that you might need to have the electricity or natural gas turned off as well. As soon as you’ve gathered your family and pets, get on the phone with a water damage restoration team. The trained technicians will secure the site and assess the scale of damage and start to plan the cleanup. 

Although raindrops may have been clean a few hours ago, by the time flood waters roll into your home, they picked up chemicals, debris, contaminants, and even biohazards from outside on the way there. Your water damage restoration team will consider anything touched by flood waters as contaminated, help you know which items you should keep or throw away, and will take the necessary steps to clean your home while keeping your family safe. 

In Conclusion

To help you navigate after a water disaster, you’ll want local, reliable restoration professionals. Flood waters require even more skills and expertise to clean up. Alert Disaster Restoration has the skills, resources, and positive energy to support you through this challenging time. In Bakersfield, the Alert crew is the full-service disaster restoration contractor for flood cleanup. In addition to being certified by the IICRC (Institute of Inspection Cleaning & Restoration Certification), Alert Disaster adheres to all OSHA regulations and incorporates CDC guidelines. This family-run business has been a partner in the Central Valley community for 15 years and will be able to help you through any flood damage to your home.