7 Ways to Restore Your Home After a Flood

A flood that affects your home is quite possibly one of the most frustrating and annoying natural disasters any individual has to experience. However, knowing the specific steps for repairing your home after a flood will help you recover from this disaster quickly and effectively. These 7 steps will help you restoring and repairing your home after a flood in the shortest amount of time possible.

Step 1 – Call Your Home Insurance Representative

The first step toward recovery is filing an insurance claim and determining a next step. Your insurance provider can help guide you in what direction to turn as far as proceeding with repairs and protecting your home from further damage. They may also have to come to your home to look at the damage and get an estimate of the costs. It also may be a precaution for them to make sure that there are no fraudulent claims. They may also be able to refer you to a contractor that is covered by your insurance to work on the repairs of your home.

Step 2 – Determine Safety of Home before Returning

As flooding can be unpredictable, do not return to your home until public authorities have deemed it safe. Likewise, wait for clearance to return from a qualified electrician, as the flood may have caused a short in the electricity or wiring.

Step 3 – Assess Building Safety

Again, before and as you enter your home after a flood, be sure to check for structural safety. Look for walls or floors that appear buckled and watch for any holes in the floor. Be aware of any glass or other potentially hazardous or dangerous debris left behind by the flood waters and home damage.

Step 4 – Make a List of Damaged or Lost Items

As you re-enter the home, assess the overall damage. Make a list of any damaged or lost items, include the items’ values as well as their purchase dates. Include receipts when possible. This list will help you more effectively replace lost items and will be extremely helpful to the insurance company.

Step 5 – Remove Wet Contents as Soon as Possible

While it is best to allow a professional company complete the cleanup, you can actually start the process by removing any wet contents that you can easily move. Likewise, allow for the most air circulation possible by opening windows or doors.

Step 6 – Call a Cleaning Service

Calling a cleaning service like AAA Standard Services, Inc. or a service in your local area can help expedite cleaning up your house after experiencing a flood. It can also help alleviate some of the stress of trying to get your home back into shape as trying to do repairs and clean up yourself after a flooding disaster can feel very overwhelming.

Step 7 – Move Back In

After the cleaning has been done and your home has been cleared for living, move back in. Consider creating a new list of belongings for the event of another disaster and talk with your insurance adjuster to determine if the insurance company will cover additional construction to the home to prevent another issue.

While a flood is a devastating experience, this process can help you, your family, and your home recover quickly and effectively.

My name is Lizzie Weakley and I am a freelance writer from Columbus, Ohio. I went to college at The Ohio State University where I studied communications. I enjoy the outdoors and long walks in the park with my 3-year-old husky Snowball.

Lizzie was found the information for this article from AAA Standard Services, Inc.