What To Do and Avoid After Water Damage in Your Home

2/18/2020 (Permalink)

Water damage on flooring in an Edmond, OK home

If you were to arrive home and find that water had infiltrated your home, your first reaction might be to panic. While this is certainly a dire situation, there are right ways and wrong ways to handle it. A failing appliance or broken pipe can cause a big flood in your house, but with the proper steps, you can mitigate the damage and recover.

Your First Responsibilities

Where there's water in home, you don't have time to waste. You should first make sure all family members and pets are safely out of harm's way. Next, find the source of the flood and stop it, if possible. Other important steps are:

• Turn off the electricity in your home.
  
• If it's safe to do so, remove items from and around the water to higher ground.
  
• Contact a professional disaster cleanup company.
  
• Call your insurance provider.
  
  

Don't Turn on Electronics
Electronic devices such as computers, televisions, and stereos can suffer excessive damage where there is flooding. These devices are important to you and may hold valuable information. Still, never attempt to turn them on. This could shock or electrocute you. Let the professionals handle the water removal and cleaning of these items.

Don't Go Near Black Water
Water damage from a broken pipe shouldn't be dangerous. However, if the flood comes from a sewer backup, a broken sewer line or an overflowing toilet, black water could be in your home. This contains hazardous materials such as human waste. It could be dangerous to touch and legal if swallowed. Only a professional crew in Edmond, OK, should handle this cleanup effort.

Don't Forget to Gather Information
To file an insurance claim, your agent will want to know as much about the incident as possible. Take photos of the damage. Record what items were damaged and those that you couldn't save.
Follow these guidelines carefully. Knowing what to do and what not to do can save you a lot of headaches after a broken pipe or other problems floods your home.