Emergency Flooding Water Removal

Spring is here. And of course accompanying the May flowers are April showers.

April showers mean a deluge of torrential thunderstorms and all-day rains. this, combined with water melt from upriver, increases our chances of flooding and of water getting in our basements.

So what do we do then?

You can try to handle it yourself or you can call an expert who arrives prepared to handle the problem.

Can I handle interior flooding myself?

If a homeowner is fairly handy and has access to the right tools, they can handle some interior flooding.

You need:

  • Hip waders or waterproof boots higher than the water level
  • A large wet/dry shopvac
  • Fans and a dehumidifier
  • Mop
  • Disinfectant

The water comes flooding in you first need to make sure that it is rain water and not sewer water. You can tell this from the smell, most likely.

If it smells like human waste, it should be treated as such, and you should call an expert. This is NOT a case for a do-it-yourselfer.

if it smells like rain water, or leaves and mud, then it likely is caused by a backup somewhere and is safe to remove yourself.

Put on those hip waders and get to work. Fill the shop vac repeatedly until you can get to the drain and unplug it, which should allow the water to go down.

Once your standing water is gone, you must work to identify the edges of where the water went. Your work doesn’t stop at the wall. You must make sure your efforts to dry it out go behind the drywall and studs all the way to the foundation.

Remove all visible water, then wash the affected area with a disinfecting spray or solution. Finally, use a combination of fans and a dehumidifier to remove any humidity in the space.

Or, if you don’t have days to commit to the project, you can call an expert to remove floodwater from the basement.

Call an expert to remove standing water from your basement

In the real world the average homeowner doesn’t have time to deal with standing water in their basement. And, importantly, they don’t have the tools to do the job professionally.

Call an expert company to remove standing water from your basement.  they will do the job quickly and completely oh, and they will work seamlessly with your homeowners insurance company to not only solve the current problem but to address whatever created the standing water problem.

With an issue as important as flooding and mold prevention most homeowners are making a mistake if they try and handle it themselves.

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