Immediate Steps To Take After Water Damage

Water damage is a widespread occurrence that can impact anyone at any time. It can also come from several different sources, rather through a catastrophic event like a pipe bursting, or an accidental incident like an overflowed bathtub. No matter the source, it can be equally devastating and damaging. Making matters worse, there can be no time wasted after water damage is discovered, as mold grows within 24 hours of a flood occurring. 

Water Damage Restoration – Bakersfield

Though it can be overwhelming to deal with a water damage emergency, there are immediate steps that can be taken while dealing with the crisis at hand. In order to minimize the amount of damage your home takes and to keep yourself and others safe, follow the checklist accordingly.

1. Protect Yourself, Others, And The Property

If a flood occurs within your home, it’s critical to take care when dealing with large floods. Water is a huge conductor of electricity, and there is a likelihood that floods can become charged. Because of that, avoid going near wet areas until a professional has shut off the electricity to the house to ensure your safety. Even if you’ve lost power, you can still be electrocuted in a flooded basement if someone is running a generator nearby and back-feeding electricity into the damaged electrical grid. 

If you need to re-enter your home after the power has been shut off, make sure that you are wearing protective gear, such as boots, gloves, a mask, etc. Water that has damaged a home typically is filled with bacteria, so it is important to protect yourself against them. 

2. Identify The Source Of Water 

If you feel that it is safe to do so, locating the source of the flood and shutting it off will be the first step that you will need to take. It is helpful to locate the shutoff valves before water damage occurs to get to them as quickly as possible. If the water is coming from inside the home, it is likely from a burst pipe or appliance malfunction. While attempting this, it’s important to take extreme caution when doing to prevent further damage to your home or harming yourself.

3. Notify Your Insurance Provider

When experiencing any sort of damage, it’s vital to get in contact with your insurance provider to notify them of what happened. If your provider covers flood damage, the company will send an adjuster to look at and assess the damage that has been inflicted on your home to determine if it is a covered loss.

Be sure to document and take pictures of all the valuables in your home before, during, and after the cleanup. This will assist the insurance company in determining the outcome of coverage for the damage

4. Contact Professionals

After you have done all that you can to minimize water damage, it’s time to call in professionals to start with the water damage restoration process. It is a long, complicated process to begin cleaning up all the water properly to ensure that nothing is left behind to leave lasting damage. It may be alluring to attempt it on your own; however, it is an arduous process that people are trained and skilled to do for you to minimize your own stress and get the job done right the first time. Attempting this on your own may result in missed spots that could lead to bigger damage than you started with. 

Alert Disaster has experts available to assess the amount of damage done to your property and eliminate any water present to bring your home back to its original state. They will determine what can be restored and what needs to be replaced. Experts have the knowledge and experience you need to ensure that you can be safe in your own home after a flood.