Help For Flooded Basements: What to Do When Your Basement Floods
A flooded basement can be devastating for any homeowner. You never know when a major storm will hit, but if you live in an area that is prone to flooding - for example, a flooded basement in Miami is a very common occurrence - it's important to have a plan for what you'll do when your basement floods. There are many steps that should be taken right away if your home has been flooded and this blog post will give you some helpful tips on how to get started!
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What should you do when your basement floods
First, make sure everyone is out of the house and call 9-1-1.
Head down to the basement with a flashlight. Turn off your electricity at the main breaker if you can. If not, avoid touching live wires or anything that could fall over into water like coiled cords (if it's too hard to get to then try again when water levels go down). Always use caution.
Signs of a flooded basement
Possible indicators of basement flooding are wet floors, standing water on the ground, and sopping drywall.
Absorption is the first thing to look for. Is your floor always wet? Does it have a damp or sticky feel when touched? If your answer is "yes" then water infiltration may be occurring in underlying soil because groundwater has seeped into the slab or foundation wall and created a horizontal saturated zone. Look into cracks in foundations walls, flooring seams, concrete expansion joints around electrical wires/pipes/etc., tangent flashing at roof edges, beneath sill plates if you live in an older house (flush to grade), and other signs of cracked plaster ceilings - these will show evidence of saturation with untreated water.
Why does my basement flood and what can I do about it
One reason is groundwater, which accumulates and seeps up through the ground, creating a constant sump problem in an area susceptible to regular flooding. Another issue is a problem with drainage - if water can't get out of the house fast enough then it will back up into the basement or yard. The third one is improper grading - if your soil slopes onto your foundation (either from above or beside), this puts more weight on that foundation making it less stable and makes any natural disaster like heavy rain or straight down snow melt worse.
How to prevent flooding in the future
The best way to affect flooding in a basement is to alleviate it as soon as possible. For that, the first thing you need is a sump and pan system installed directly into your groundwater drainage system or in-ground drain. A reverse osmosis filter will clean any water down past the point of entering your basement, eliminating the risk altogether.
What are some ways to clean up after a flood
Extraction of the water: Use a wet vac or a shop vac to extract as much water from the space and into plastic buckets. You can also purchase special pumps for flood cleanup that will vacuum the water out. Once you start removing water, you must continue to remove it or risk mold growth.
Odor control: Whenever possible, open windows and doors near your flooded space to air out the area and discourage bacteria growth in stagnant areas.
Tips for drying out your home after a flood disaster
Some basics to remember when drying out your home after a basement flood disaster are:
Activate the home dehumidifier and use fans to circulate air around rooms. Keep the temperature at 60 degrees or above, don't expose walls to direct sun. At this point, it's important that you also act fast to prevent mold growth which occurs when moisture stays present for more than 24 hours. You can kill it with bleach but make sure there are no signs of leaks before doing so.
It is important to be prepared for flooding disasters, so you know what to do when they happen. You can take steps today that will help prevent a flooded basement in the future and lessen the damages if your home does flood. Don't wait until there's an emergency - start preparing now so that if (or rather when) disaster strikes you'll have peace of mind knowing that everything is as ready as possible for any situation!
Author: Water Damage Kings
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