Floods are coming for you. 1.47 billion people are exposed directly to flooding, including millions of Americans.

Floods can occur from natural disasters, rainstorms, and burst pipes. You need to prepare for one at any moment, and you must be mindful of how much damage one can cause. You can start the preparation process by learning about water damage restoration.

What exactly does a repair crew do? How can you be involved in the process?

Get Out of Your Home

Water may seem harmless. But you can drown in a small pool, especially if you hit your head on the floor or another object. You can trip and hurt yourself, and you can get an infection from inhaling or drinking the water.

You can take a few steps to mitigate flood damage. You can move valuable objects out of the flooded room and seal the room off.

Once you’ve done those steps, you need to evacuate the home. If a storm is raging outside and you cannot leave, you should move to an upper level or the roof of your house. If you can leave, you should go to somewhere else that doesn’t have flood damage.

Hire Someone to Inspect Your House

After the emergency passes, you need to call a restoration company. You should explain to them what the situation is and what you think caused the flood damage.

You should then ask them to send an inspector over. Schedule a time for the inspector to arrive and wait outside your home for them.

When they get there, give them the layout of your house. You should stay outside and let the inspector do their job so they can get a full assessment of the situation. There may be dangerous conditions inside, and you risk hurting yourself if you follow them into the house.

The inspector will give you their assessment of the damage to your home. Your foundation may be damaged, or mold may be growing in your walls. You will need to stay out until a water damage repair crew comes in.

Remove the Water

Your repair crew will first remove the water.The water removal Denver and repair crew will first remove the water. water out of the room and take it outside.

If a pipe is causing your water damage, the crew will shut the supply of water off in your house. A crew member will seal the hole in your pipe so it cannot leak anymore. If the materials in your piping are extremely damaged, someone can replace the entire pipe for you.

Take Out Damaged Materials

Your materials may get damaged just from sitting in pools of water. A surge of water can rip items off of walls and smash them to the ground.

Your repair crew will remove all damaged items from your home. You can sit outside while personnel lay your items out. You can sort through them and try to find ones worth keeping.

Some items may have bacteria, chemicals, or other things on them. The crew can clean these items for you and then return them to you.

Other items may not be restorable, especially glass items that fell on the ground. The crew will let you know about these things, and you can try to find replacements.

Clean the Home

Your crew will then move through your home and clean everything up. The employees may need to remove walling and flooring materials so they can do a deep clean. Water can leave behind a musty odor, so your crew can spread some deodorizing substances.

You may be able to clean the exterior space around your home. You can go through your garden and yard and make repairs as you see fit. However, you should keep in mind that there may be mold or animals in these areas, so you should wear protective equipment.

Dry the Home Out

Humidity can make water damage worse or spread pathogens through your home. After most of the cleaning process is done, your crew will dry your home out. Personnel can use dehumidifiers to remove moisture in the air and they will open windows to allow clean air to circulate.

Make Repairs to the Property

Repairing water damage does not end once the water leaves your house. You need to take steps to promote the integrity of your home. Water can snap beams and support structures in your house, which can lead to a collapse.

You should ask a repair company to come in and fix the internal support structures. You may also need to install new windows and doors so water is less likely to enter your home.

You can get the money for these repairs by contacting your insurance company. Give them the information about what was damaged, including photographs of your property.

Complete Water Damage Restoration

Water damage restoration is a complicated process. You need to keep yourself safe and leave your home. An inspector should then do a comprehensive evaluation to see what has been damaged.

A crew needs to remove the water and your damaged belongings. You can make minor repairs outside, but your crew will make most fixes inside for you. Employees will also dehumidify your home.

You are not done once the crew leaves. You must repair your home so it doesn’t collapse.

You can start making repairs once you know the facts. Read home repair guides by following our coverage.