Ah yes, the summertime in good ol’ Texas. Nothing is more beautiful, and nothing is more…well, frightening. That just may be the correct word for the amount of floods we’ve had this summer. It’s only just begun. You’re thinking “geez, really?”
Yeah, really.
The flood damage is real, folks. This isn’t just another ‘how to’ blog entry. This is a message to anyone who is frightened about the well-being of your home during these harsh storms. Since you can’t hold your home tight and tell it that everything will be okay, we’re prepared to give you some advice that will serve the equivalent.
So let’s just say you come home and your house is under water. Yikes. Not something to be completely thrilled about. In fact you’re kind of freaking out and you feel like you can’t breathe. Relax. That’s right, deep breaths. Take it all in. Your house is going to need some serious lovin’ once this water has died down. The question is, what do I do when it does die down?
The first bit is simple. Don’t walk into your house. Halt. Go no further. Your first step lies outside of your home. Walk around the premises and look for structural damage. You really don’t want your house to collapse on you while you’re inside. Look for any damaged power lines or broken water lines. Most importantly, smell for gas leaks. If you spot these things (with your nose, especially) call your utility company immediately before you take any further action. We mean it. Immediately.
So this means you can go in now, right? Nope. Not yet. Because there are still many question marks involving the inside of your home. For example, any sort of electricity that is in your house could mean danger for anyone trying to enter. Another example is that flood water contains raw sewage and other really disgusting factors. If you happen to come into contact with the flood water, make sure you wash your hands. I mean really wash them. Just how those instructional safety videos tell you.
So you’ve come this far. You realize that it might be safe to go ahead and walk into your home. Exciting, right? Except that it smells like an ogre has been renting the house from you. It even looks like it too. Don’t be afraid. Stay away from the toxic waste and you’ll be fine.
Once you enter your home, your first thought will most likely be “it’s dark in here” of course after the initial “gross!”, but don’t let that lead you to the light switch. In fact, your electricity should be turned off completely– not only for the sake of your home, but for the sake of your safety. Perhaps a flashlight would be a good alternative. Definitely something that runs batteries. While you’ve got that flashlight, go ahead and snap pictures of any damage that may have been done to your home or belongings. This will make it easier to show companies like us, what we’ll have to do to your home. Just be careful, flood waters may still lurk in your home and water damage may have your walls and ceilings close to collapsing.
In the meantime, keep your windows and door open to air out your home. This will help with the foul odor. If you need water to drink, try boiling it until your water system is confirmed for purity. Or you could even buy some bottled water. Totally your choice. You should throw away any food that came into contact with flood waters. This includes canned foods. They are not safe to consume. And come on, who would want to consume something that has touched raw sewage? You must also realize that your home is no longer safe to hang around in for too long. Especially children.
As for the water damage, you should never try and fix this damage yourself. Not only could it be awful for your home in the long run, it’s also extremely time-consuming and rushing it is the worst thing you can possibly do with any restoration project. You’ll need an electrician to check out your electrical system and appliances. You’ll need your health department to confirm that it’s alright to use your drinking water. You’ll need to rescue some salvageable objects that can be cleaned and dried out. You’ll need a lot of things, and it’s okay to ask for help. We are ALWAYS here to help you, no matter what comes. No matter how big the job. We never turn away a family in need of our assistance.
