3 Steps To Take After a Basement Flood

5/20/2022 (Permalink)

After a basement flood, you can't just dry everything out and go back to normal. Mold can grow quickly and cause significant damage.

3 Things To Do After A Basement Flood

Nothing ruins your day quite as much as coming home to a basement flood. When that happens in your Westchase, FL, home, you might be unsure how to proceed. Here are three steps to take when you have a flooded basement.

1. Identify the Source of the Water

Before starting repairs, you need to find out where the water is coming from and stop it. If you have a leaking appliance or burst water piper, turn off the water main to the house. However, if floodwaters cause your basement to flood, you'll have to wait for them to recede before starting to pump the water out.

2. Check Insurance Coverage

Depending on your coverage, you might find that your insurance policy doesn't cover everything. Insurance typically doesn't cover repairing items in your home that caused the flood, such as a broken dishwasher or water heater. Additionally, your plan won't cover damage from an outside flood unless you purchased additional flood insurance.

However, property insurance will cover the cost of repairing and replacing your personal belongings damaged in the basement flood. Those items include:

• Electronics
  
• Clothing
  
• Bedding
• Furniture

When speaking to your insurance agent, ask what proof they require for your damaged items so you can start the repair or replacement process as soon as possible.

3. Contact a Clean Up Service

After a basement flood, you can't simply dry everything out and go back to normal. Mold and mildew can quickly start to grow on things and cause much more damage. Additionally, depending on why your basement filled with water, you could have unsafe chemicals and hazardous materials all over your belongings.

Because of that, you should contact a flood damage restoration company to do the clean-up for you. They will safely remove all of the damaged materials and clean everything, so your basement is safe to use again.

Rising waters in your basement can be hard to handle. However, knowing what steps to take when it happens can make a hard time a lot easier to manage.