If you are a California resident, you know that the recent spate of yearly wildfires has wreaked havoc on local vegetation and ecosystems. Whereas seasonal rains used to be welcome, now they are feared by residents due to the damage they can cause. With little vegetation remaining to absorb the water, floods and mudslides are becoming threats to
California homes all over the state and particularly near the coastlines. If your home falls prey to water damage, here are the very first steps you should take to safeguard both your family and your investment.
If your home has been flooded, it is always safest to wait until waters have receded before attempting to assess the damage to the structure. If water damage happened as the result of a simple broken pipe, turn off your home's main water valve, then begin immediately to take steps to remove the water before it does additional damage.
Remove salvageable items and put them in a safe place until your home is livable again. You definitely do not want to keep anything that has been saturated by flood waters since such liquids are filled with hazardous contaminants.
Contact your insurance company as soon as possible to see what kinds of remediation help are covered under your policy. Before your family moves into the house again, it is essential that all contaminated items, both moveable and unmoveable, be removed.
There is a real danger for toxic mold poisoning following incidents of water damage, and homeowners can never be too careful in dealing with and getting rid of mold. If the water damage is severe enough, mold colonies will begin growing almost immediately.
You may need to completely remove and replace water-damaged carpeting, hardwood floors, vinyl, sheetrock, and wood framing. This is especially true in the case of damage that has been caused by flood waters. If water damage comes from simple water in the basement or a leaky pipe, have a professional come in and dry the areas thoroughly with heavy duty blowers and anti-mold cleaning materials.
When assessing damage to your home, you always want to wear a protective mask and disposable gloves to protect against mold contamination.
Once the necessary remediation and repair steps have been taken in your home, have a final mold inspection performed to make sure there weren't any colonies overlooked during the cleaning process. Some molds may remain behind even if you think they have been ousted, and you don't want these colonies to rear their ugly heads again later.
Water damage to a home is stressful and frightening: make sure to get professional help when warranted to make sure it can be a safe and welcoming place once more.
Author Resource:
Millennium Pharmaceuticals(http://www.millennium2000restoration.com/) If you've had Orange County water damage , we can be there the day it happens to address the emergency. Art Gib is a freelance writer.Distributed by Content Crooner
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