Even after your best efforts to restore your home from the flood, you may find yourself facing water problems. After a flood, most homeowners are very concerned about the restoration of their homes. Although it’s not just about removing water from your home, changing the carpets, and repainting the house, safety is also one of the major concerns.
In this article, we will explore a checklist about how we can rehabilitate our home after a flood. This checklist will let us know about the important and advisable steps that we should take just after the flood.
Initial Safety Assessments
Dealing with the consequences of a flood can be overwhelming for most homeowners. Below are some safety assessments that should be done first after a flood.
- Apply for FEMA Assistance – The First safety step after a flood is to reach out to FEMA for their assistance. A little of the information will be required when applying for the assistance, such as Social Security Number, Insurance Number, Contact Information, and damage Information.
- Turn off Electricity – After entering the home, try to use insulating things to switch off all the things that are in water. If your electricity box is in water, then reach out to your electrician or power provider; do not try to step in water. Due to the filled water, the chances of getting an electric shock are very high, so be very careful while coming in contact with water or any other conductor.
- Care for Yourself – You may be experiencing stress and other warning signs while dealing with the flood and recovery. In such a situation, make sure you are with your family, try to keep your family together, discuss your problems with people around you, and try not to mess up things in your mind, as you will suffer more if you do these things.
- Stay Hygienic – Infants, pregnant women, and elderly people should avoid entering the home until the cleanup is completed. Keep children away from dirt, as they intend to put things in their mouths. After a flood, you will be exposed to the flooded area that may contain very harmful chemicals that are very dangerous for us. So keep washing your hands frequently.
Cleanup and Drying Out
A lot of mess may allow you to feel discouraged, and you may want to just throw things out and end it. Don’t do this, as things will get better in a few days. For cleaning, follow the three-step process that is to remove mud at first, you can use a garden sprayer for this, then the second step is to clean it by scrubbing and using heavy-duty detergents, and at last disinfect it by using chlorine or any other disinfecting agent.
Drying ceilings and walls is also necessary. The dehumidification process can be applied to reduce the moisture in the air and from saturated surfaces. Furniture, clothing, and bedding should be kept outside to dry out. Otherwise, mould may grow in 24 to 48 hours, which can cause health issues, including allergies.
Assessing Damage and Repairs
You need to check properly if there is any damage to the walls, flooring, or structural elements, and then look for water damage restoration services to restore these problems. In case of structural damage, it is preferred to reach out to professional contractors to execute quality work, as these damages are best dealt by the professionals.
Preventing Future Flooding
Restoring your home after a flood is comparatively very easy if you have prepared well before the flood. If you feel like you will be better at some other locations, then reach out to the local government or the disaster management officials for help to relocate to a place where there are very few chances of flooding.
Many programmes are available that will help you relocate and will provide you with other properties if needed. In serious cases, financial help is given to relocate to a better place.
Basic steps to prevent flooding include proper drainage systems, construction of dams, and proper use of land. Planting trees may also contribute to less destruction during the flood by holding the land soil firmly.
Installing a Sump Pump
In older homes where there were no basement waterproofing systems, sump pumps were installed. Installing the sump pump involves the following steps :
- Attaching a check valve to the discharge pipe
- Attaching the adapter to the PVC pipe after taking measurements
- Drilling a deep hole and then cutting the PVC pipe
- Dropping the pump into the pit and attaching the discharge pipe to the check valve
- Securing electrical cords and completing the system
Maintaining Gutters and Drains
After a flood, a thorough check of all the gutters and drains near your house is important. Cleaning out any found debris, checking for any damage, and ensuring proper slope for the perfect flow of water is important. Gutter guards can be used for maintaining the long life and safety of gutters.
If any specific structural damage or any major blockage is present, then a professional should be contacted in this case to prevent any future problems related to drains during or after a flood.
Emotional Recovery and Support
It may be hard to forget those horrible experiences of the flood, which may result in stress and anxiety. So it’s better to manage these things by sharing them with your family and friends, which will make you feel light and less stressed.
Taking rest and eating well play a very important role in overcoming stress and anxiety, as these things affect you more when you are weak. You will have much to do, and you can’t clean everything at once, so it’s better to make a schedule for this to avoid an overload of tasks.
If you are unable to come out of those memories, and they are causing unmanageable stress. So it’s better to take help from a professional to get better.
Conclusion
By following this checklist, post-home rehabilitation is not a hard task. Understanding the fact that recovery of yourself holds the same importance as the rehabilitation of the home.
Also, make sure to follow practices that will make your home prepared for any upcoming flood. For instance, check that your drainage system is working properly and is in good condition. So that you will never have to face the same problems even after another flood.
