Whether we are talking about a significant disaster or slight water damage caused by snowmelt or heavy rainfall, flooding can be really devastating and destabilize your whole life for a long time. Naturally, you want things to get back to normal as soon as possible, remove all the destroyed items and replace them, fix the damage, and make sure that your house is comfortable and safe to live in again. That is why it is so important to know the basic after flooding recovery rules.
The recovery after a flood is fixing your house and replacing your damaged goods and making sure that you and your family members feel safe in the place again. It sometimes includes thorough health checks and even therapy sessions as the damage from floods are sometimes not as visible as we may think.
This article will talk about the essential after flooding recovery process to make it as efficient and seamless for your whole family as possible.
Returning home after a flood.
If the flooding was so severe that you had to evacuate, the way you return home and estimate the damage is essential for the after flooding recovery process.
Not only it is essential to detect and make a list of all the damage that has to be fixed, but you should also make sure that the consequences of flooding won't lead to diseases, trauma, illness, or any other side effects.
Here is what you need to consider upon your first visit after flooding:
- Wear protective clothes and shoes - you may get cuts and scratches from broken glass, plastic, or debris;
- Gas and Electricity - don't attempt to turn on gas or electric appliance until you are sure that it is not impacted by water;
- Bring bottled water - there is a big chance that the local water system was damaged by flooding, and therefore the habitual water supplies may not be safe;
- Avoid flooded areas - if the basement, garage, or any other parts of the house remain flooded, don't enter there and wait until the water is drained or pumped out of there entirely;
- Don't bring children or pets upon the first visit. Until you are sure that the area is cleared of broken glass, debris, dirty water, and other contamination keeping the most vulnerable family members away from the building are better.
Ensuring your safety is the first step towards your after flooding recovery. It will help you estimate the damage and repair costs without causing more trouble that may have a long-term effect. For example, using water-damaged electric equipment may cause a fire and lead to an ultimate catastrophe for your household. While it may seem pretty far-fetched, fires at the flooding site happen much more often than you can imagine.
After flooding recovery - your health and wellbeing
Except for damaging our houses and businesses, floods often cause severe damage to our health and wellbeing. Here we talk about physical injury and trauma and diseases that may even include hepatitis and gastrointestinal infections from contaminated water and deep psychological trauma that may have a long-term effect and prevent you from feeling safe in your own house even if the flooding does not happen anymore.
Taking care of your health is another essential part of after flooding recovery that many people forget about.
Here are the essential rules:
- Keep an eye on the water - as we have already mentioned, flooding can damage the water supply systems in your area, making the water unsafe to during, use for cooking, or even bathing. Contact local emergency services to ensure that the water systems are fixed or intact. Use bottled water for all purposes until you get official permission;
- Always wash your hands with soap or use sanitizer - although, recently most of us got used to washing our hands frequently and using sanitizers due to the Pandemic, once you deal with an after flooding recovery, it is essential to double your effort;
- Protect from water - once you have open wounds, scratches, or any other skin damage, make sure to keep it clean and protect it from floodwater. In some cases, experts even recommend people with extra sensitive skin or skin conditions to avoid contact with any water except for bottled ones until the house's safety is restored entirely.
- Remove all flood-damaged toys and clothing - children may sometimes ignore or take risks seriously. And you will be too busy with the flood damage to keep an eye on them 24/7 and make sure that they don't use, touch, or play with things damaged by floodwater. It is better to remove all those objects out of sight and then go through them before you return them to the kids` rooms;
- Remove all the food from the house - any food that might have been in touch with flood water or wasn't properly refrigerated due to power-off for more than 4 hours is potentially dangerous. Even if the food was stored in a plastic container with lead, it might have n=een impacted by floodwater. Go through your storage and get rid of any sealed food if the package looks damaged and canned products once you notice any signs of rust or damage to the can itself.
Emotional and psychological processing is another essential part of after-flooding recovery. Make sure that all family members speak openly about their feelings and their experience. If you notice any signs of insecurity, emotional misbalance, or any other effect the disaster might have had on any family member, consider professional help and therapy to fulfill the after-flooding recovery.
As you see, after flooding, recovery is something more than fixing the house or replacing the water heater. It is a complicated process that touches every aspect of your life.
It is always best to avoid the problem rather than find the most lucrative solutions. Temporary flood barriers are an innovative solution that will help you seal every passage of your house, including garage gates and basement doors. That way, water won't enter the building, and the impact of flooding on your household will remain minimal.
Contact Dam Easy today and learn about our Flood Barriers and other modern solutions that will help you avoid water damage and prevent the destructive effect of floods on every aspect of your life.
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