How to Deal With a Flooded Basement

Dealing with an unexpected flood in your home’s basement is both inconvenient and anxiety-inducing. Especially if this has never happened before, or if you’ve never dealt with a flood, you likely don’t know where to start. Fortunately, Restoration 1 of Greater Minneapolis is here for you – we want to help you navigate through this event successfully. Here’s what you should do to deal with a flooded basement.

Find the Cause

The first thing you’ll want to do is find out what caused the flood – if it wasn’t an obvious source, such as a weather event. Did a pipe burst in a wall? In that case, it’s important to take the next proper steps. You should turn off your water supply, and if the level of the flood is high enough, you may need to turn off your electricity and gas lines, too.

Take Pictures

If you have flood insurance or homeowners insurance, you will want to document everything in a detailed manner before you begin cleanup. Get multiple angles of damaged areas, be sure to convey how deep the water is, and get close-up photos of soiled furniture and other personal belongings that may be damaged beyond repair. When it comes to dealing with insurance companies, there’s no such thing as over-documentation.

Remove the Water

For this, you will likely want to call in a professional team, unless you happen to have multiple wet vacuums at your disposal. If you have several inches to several feet of water, you won’t be able to get the water out in an effective, timely manner by yourself. Timely is the key word here – water damage only sets in and gets worse the longer you wait, making it more expensive, and more of a mold development risk, as time goes by.

Dry and Dehumidify

From here on out, once the water has been removed, it’s time to dry the affected area. You should have industrial fans going around the clock, windows open (if your basement has them), and you must be prepared to wait. Was the flood major? Then expect to wait several days to even a week or more for total dryness. Note that you must have total dryness to be able to begin remediation. You’ll also need to dehumidify, which is crucial to prevent extensive, harmful mold growth. After that, the remediation specialist can assess the damage and more forward with repairs.

Call Restoration 1 of Greater Minneapolis Today

Restoration 1 of Greater Minneapolis is proud to say we have a team of experts in flood damage restoration standing by when you need us. We are available 24/7, and can be reached at 612-200-2302 to schedule a service. We serve the Minneapolis area, and will treat you with the same care we would our own families.

About The Author

David Tynes is the general manager of Restoration of Greater Minneapolis. David has years of experience in home and commercial restoration, and he is certified as a restoration professional by the IICRC.