Do External Factors Interfere with The Restoration of a Flooded Home?

8/25/2020 (Permalink)

Unfortunately, storms often cause flooding. Should your home flood, call SERVPRO for fast remediation.

SERVPRO's Years of Experience Restoring Flood Damage Within Newport Area Gives Us Unique Insights in Handling All Issues  

When your home is inundated with filthy floodwaters, your focus is on removing the water, cleaning the affected areas, and restoring any damaged materials. Therefore, you might consider any action that seems to help you achieve these goals as beneficial. However, some external factors might change the trajectory you have planned for the restoration process. An experienced team of technicians from SERVPRO can help you understand or even anticipate some of the issues, thus running a smooth restoration exercise at your Newport home.  

Which external factors can interfere with flood damage restoration at my Newport home?   

You may expect the decision, whether it is to renovate the house or choose other extreme alternatives such as demolition, to be clear cut once you establish the extent of damages caused by the Newport flooding incident. Issues such as saturation of materials with moisture and soiling of surfaces are easy to address, especially with help from an experienced team like SERVPRO. However, an incident can also involve severe problems such as:  

• Cracked or collapsed walls due to hydrostatic pressure 
• Deep contamination of porous and semi-porous materials 
• Foundation or basement wall cracks  

In case of such issues, renovating the property or the affected section is usually not feasible because of the expenses involved. In some cases, the problems are irresolvable. Sometimes the decision is influenced by external factors such as:  

• Conditions set by your insurer 
• Legal implications that demand the house to be torn down 
• The need for demolition and hazardous material disposal permits  

Regardless of the outcome of a flooding incident, local regulations might require you to comply with requirements such as filling in the basement or raising the house to give it higher ground clearance. Our SERVPRO technicians provide such information before starting any restoration processes to choose an approach that complies with the regulations from the outset.  

Why are demolition permits necessary?  

Flooding incidents in Newark might necessitate complete or partial demolition of sections of the property. Since demolition involves tearing down various materials, it can release harmful substances such as asbestos or chemicals such as lead and mercury. Permits are issued to ensure only qualified people handle the dangerous materials, and that the proper disposal methods are used after removing the contents from your property.  

With help from our SERVPRO technicians, getting the necessary permits is easier since we have the skills required for handling hazardous materials. We are also conversant with regulations governing disposal processes, including finding designated dumping sites for dangerous materials rather than sending them to regular landfills.   

What conditions are insurers likely to set if my home floods?  

• Site protection 
• Salvaging materials to save cost  

If you have an insurance cover that caters for flooding incidents, you do not have to worry much about the cost implications loss. However, your insurer may require you to adhere to specific regulations for faster processing of your claim. One essential thing insurance companies mandate is the protection of affected property to halt further deterioration. Deterioration can be caused by:  

• Rodents and other small animals 
• Weather elements such as rain 
• Acts of vandalism  

Our SERVPRO technicians can help protect your damaged property by installing roof tarps and boarding up wall openings. We use sophisticated approaches to ensure sufficient protection. For instance, we use durable tarps when securing roof openings to provide adequate protection should the renovation process takes months to complete. When boarding up the walls, we use materials that create substantial barriers. For example, instead of merely attaching plywood boards on walls to seal openings, we can use the bolt-with-tension approach whereby we bolt the plywood to two-by-four planks so that it is held in place through tension. Since the plywood overlaps the exterior part of the wall, while the planks overlap the interior wall, the solution provides sufficient security without physical damage.  

What materials can be salvaged after flooding?  

Moisture accumulation, which is the main issue during flooding, affects a wide range of materials on the floors, siding, and other sections of the house. Most of the damage occurs on the floor, especially on porous floor covers such as carpets and pad, so there is heavy contamination and accumulating of significant moisture levels within their structure. On the other hand, wall materials such as the wooden frames, doors, and window trims and fittings such as cabinets might accrue fewer damages, and thus it is possible to save them.   

SERVPRO of Newport & Bristol Counties can help you deal with any flooding incident, "Like it never even happened." Call us any time at (401) 847-8145.