There are many causes of water causing damage; it can be due to severe weather, a flash flood, a broken appliance, a burst pipe or even a damaged roof to mention some of the most common ones.
An unexpected water event can easily cause thousands of dollars of damage and in extreme situations may even temporarily displace your family from your home.
The overriding concern of all homeowners is to restore the home to its earlier condition at the earliest.
Unless the water damage is minor, you will need to call in professional restoration service providers, however, even as you wait for them to arrive there are several steps that you can take to prevent further damage to your home.
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Stay Calm and Assess Safety
It is important to stay calm when you first realize that you have an uncontrolled water event.
If the damage seems extensive, the first thing you should do is to evacuate your family or call 911. In other cases, you need to ensure that your house is safe to enter.
Switch off the power from the mains and check if the structural integrity of the house has been compromised. If you find the walls tilting or the roof displaced, you should not attempt to enter.
In the case of floodwater ingress, you should enter only after wearing gloves and boots because the water is liable to be dirty and contaminated with pathogens and bacteria.
Check the Source of the Water and Attempt to Plug It
In many cases, people wake up to the water even as it is in progress. In this situation, it is important to find the source of the leak and plug it.
If the water pressure is too much or the source of the leak is inaccessible, you should shut off the water supply from the main valve. If the water flow is small even using a bucket and a mop can help things from getting worse.
Taking these steps will help to reduce the damage even as you wait for appropriate action from a water removal service, which can be a few hours. You can find your local water damage restoration company from the map here:
Air Out the Damp Areas
If you have been successful in plugging the leak, then you should try to air out the area to hasten up the drying and reduce the chances of mildew and mold growth that can otherwise cost you hundreds of dollars to eliminate.
According to https://money.cnn.com, opening up your windows, turning on fans, or even the central air conditioning or installing a dehumidifier can help to dry out your home.
Depending on the extent of the flooding, this can be a slow process but it makes the inevitable cleaning up easier. If you have a wet and dry vacuum, use it to suck out water from the floors, carpets, and furniture that are most prone to water damage.
Conclusion
Encountering water damage at home is not a pleasant experience and can be very tiresome and expensive to set right.
Even if you have called in a professional restoration company, the outlined steps will help to reduce the damage and help in restoring normalcy faster.
