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How To Handle A Water Damage Emergency At Home
Water damage, may it be due to water system damage or flooding, can be destructive to your home. It can cause furniture and structural damage and encourage the growth of molds and mildew inside and outside of your home.
If you experience a water damage emergency, keep yourself calm so you can think clearly and act appropriately. Contacting a professional to respond and attend to the situation is the best solution, but this can talk a while, especially if their office is nowhere near your neighborhood. It would be best if you took several preliminary actions to at least control the damage of the situation.
With that said, here are what you should if a water damage emergency occurs in your property:
Step #1: Cut off the water flow
The very first thing you would need to do is to locate where the water is coming from. Go around your house and locate where it probably started. Typically, water damage happens when a water line leaks or when the heater is damaged.
Better yet, go to where your water shutoff valves are, typically outside of the house, and shut off the water line for the meantime as you wait for the household repair professionals to get to your home.
Step #2: Shut off the circuit breaker panel
Water is an excellent conductor of electricity, meaning that electricity can move or flow through traces of water near plugs or other power sources. This can put you and your loved ones in a hazardous position, which in extreme cases, can lead to death.
With that said, you should immediately shut off the electricity throughout your house through the circuit breaker panel. Typically this panel is located in the service area of your home. After that, plug off all the electrical appliances and devices around your home, especially in the affected areas.
Step #3: Elevate furniture and other valuables items
Water can significantly damage your furniture and appliances when they get soaked, even if for a short time. Molds and mildew can also develop and grow on these items if not promptly removed from the area. To prevent that from happening, you should immediately elevate your belongings to higher platforms or, better yet, to the second level of your home.
In case some of your electrical appliances have already been damaged, worry not because many companies offer water damage restoration for damaged items and property.
Step #4: Contact your home insurance agent
To save costs and receive immediate damage repair, contact your home insurance provider immediately to report the damage and ask for assistance.
However, before you give them a call, make sure to do the following:
- Review your insurance policy, especially look for the deductible and required deadline for filing a claim
- Take photos of the damage in your property to serve as documentation
- Make an inventory of all your damaged belongings
Conclusion
Water damage emergencies are instances that you wish you have prepared for beforehand. These can cause extreme damage to your home structure, furniture, and appliances. When this happens due to a water system damage, make sure to call a repair professional immediately.
As you wait for them to arrive, keep your property and loved ones safe by cutting off the water flow and shutting off the electrical power in your home. Once everything is under control, report the incident to your insurance company provider to help you save costs and assist in water damage restoration.
If such an event happened to your property recently, make sure to get a water damage restoration service in Boise, ID by leaving us a message. Our team can assess the damage to your property and find appropriate solutions for them. Contact us to get live support!