If house flooding occurs

8/11/2020 (Permalink)

If house flooding occurs

Should a sustained storm bring record rainfall to your area, your home may take in water. Even if you are not near a river or bayou, your neighborhood may be so saturated that water simply has no place to go but in and up.

If your street water is climbing into your yard and/or if your neighborhood is prone to flood:

• Put on rubber soled shoes or rubber boots. Do NOT go barefoot in your home.
• If possible, move your car off the street into the garage.
• Remove gasoline cans and flammables from the garage or put them high into the rafters of your garage.
• Grab your pre-prioritized list of items that must be moved higher (onto a tabletop or countertop), such as documents, photos and computers.
• Unplug all electric cords from wall sockets in anticipation of water rising over the socket.
• Turn off electricity at the breaker if you believe that water will approach sockets.
• Remove lower drawers from dressers and place higher — they swell shut if wet.
• If you have a one-story home, go into your attic while the water is still low and check for a roof exit if necessary. Bring with you any necessary tools you would need to create an attic opening to your roof.
• Keep exterior doors closed. Unless you are near a river or creek, most rising water does NOT enter through doorways, but through ground saturation. So chances are, it will come from everywhere at once. Doors need to remain closed to keep out animals and insects that are groping for places to land.
• Keep battery-operated communication devices on for updates on weather and evacuation boats that may be coming through your area.
• Do not drink water from the tap until you have been advised that the water system was not contaminated.
• If your house is flooding, your toilets won’t flush. Have a temporary “chamber pot” designated. Camping toilets are good to have on hand.

https://www.uth.edu/news/story.htm?id=526b7fac-a078-4963-9440-0e7b86de3b48

SERVPRO of South Arlington is here for all of your mitigation/restoration need.