Flood Damage: What To Do After The Fact

Flood damage can be devastating. Deceptively so, as it doesn’t take a whole lot of rain in many cases to create disaster inside a home. It doesn’t have to come from rain, either. Melting snow, burst pipes, and other phenomena can easily lead to the same problems. Recovery from major destruction is never easy, but there are things you can do to ease the pain. By following a simple system after the flooding has done its work, you can get on the road to recovery much more quickly.

You first order of business when you take on flood damage will be to call up your insurance agent and file a claim. This needs to be done as soon as possible to ensure you get the money due to you on your policy. Even if you think that your insurance may not cover the damage for some reason, you should make the call and find out for sure. You may be surprised.

Next, depending on the extent of the flood damage, be careful. If the water was extensive enough, it could have caused major structural decay in your home, making it completely unsafe to enter. This is probably not the case in most situations, but if water levels were high for an extended period of time, it very well could be an unsafe environment and the building could collapse. Have an inspector look at the destruction to deem whether or not it is safe for you to go back into the house.

If you’re clear to enter the home, begin inventorying your goods and furniture that have been destroyed by the flood damage. If you still have receipts, collect them so that you can present them to your insurance agent, ensuring that you will get the proper amount of money for your policy. It’s a good idea to take pictures as well, so you can have a clear sense of the environment, which, if there is still standing water, you’ll want to change as soon as you can.

Make a call to a good flood damage recovery company and move towards putting your home back in order. Call around and find a good price, but remember to judge the companies based on their reputation and services as much as you would on the bottom line. This will be a difficult time, and there’s no sense in making it even more difficult by hiring a company that will give you the runaround.