D
ealing with flood water is one of the most terrible things to deal with after the tragedy. Once it is safe enough for you to access your house after a flood, you can use buckets and vacuums to drain water from the house and furniture. While undertaking this activity, it is advisable for you to observe safety precautions by wearing gloves, boots and a mask as you get potentially exposed to various contaminants. Draining the flood water should be done as quickly as possible as any delay leads to mold build up which introduces serious health risks, and can potentially force the whole house to get razed to the ground.
This water brings to your house various types of contaminants, chemical toxins and mud. Pollutants like sewerage and chemical toxins that are brought forward by disruption of their systems by floods are enough to render a home unsafe for occupation. One of the best ways to deal with these is disposing of rugs, carpets, mattresses and other porous materials that might have been under flood water for more than 24 hours.
These items even when dried are still left with contaminants. Other items that don't absorb water should be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected on a good time to avoid further health risks.
Once you ensure there is no moisture in the house, it is then time to monitor damage extents and finding a way forward. At this point, you should call up your insurance company to assess what your policy covers. After discussing with them, embark on finding any mold or clear damage caused by water in all corners of the house. Concentrate keenly on the walls, floor and sealing to find any mold and if you find any, use anti-mold agents to treat areas that can't be removed. Where water damage is visible, like on wood, replacements have to be done.
