Upon entering your residence or workplace, the sight of water everywhere can induce panic and stress. While it’s natural to feel overwhelmed, having a clear understanding of how to handle emergency water damage repair can significantly alleviate the stress of the situation. In this guide, we’ll outline crucial steps to take when confronted with such an emergency, ensuring a more effective and composed response.
Assess The Damage
The first step in properly remediating the situation is to understand what type of water damage you have and if it’s an emergency. Here are three things to look for:
1. The amount of water. Is the entire structure or floor flooded, or is the water damage more isolated to a certain room or area? A burst pipe in your home or office building might be causing massive flooding, while an overflowing toilet is more likely to be a localized water damage concern. Plus, the amount of water can tell you a lot about whether the situation is serious or not.
2. The impacted areas. Addressing water damage in your home depends on the flooring material affected. Carpets demand a more comprehensive cleanup compared to stone, hardwood, or linoleum floors. While both scenarios require attention, the remediation process differs. Extracting water from carpeting and padding is a more substantial task than simply vacuuming water from hard surfaces. Additionally, assess if water damage from an upper level has impacted the lower level’s ceiling, identifying areas that require repair or replacement.
3. The type of water. Assessing the urgency of the situation is crucial, and it hinges on the type of water involved. Clean water, sourced from a burst or leaking supply pipe, is devoid of contaminants. Gray water, such as that from an overflowing dishwasher, is not clean but lacks septic elements. On the other hand, black or contaminated water arises from sewage backups, overflowing toilets, or flooding due to heavy rain or other weather events.
Once you know the extent of the water damage and what type of water you are dealing with, you can assess whether you have a water damage emergency or you have water damage that you can manage on your own. If you believe the situation is serious, give us a call as soon as you are able.
Residential Water Damage Emergency: First Steps to Take
While waiting for the water damage restoration company to arrive, here are some critical steps you can take at your residential property.
1. Utilities. If it’s safe to do so, make sure you turn off the electricity, water, and gas. This way, you can stop the services from running and potentially causing more damage or safety concerns. Keep in mind that the electricity and gas lines are more likely to be impacted by major loss events with large amounts of water.
2. Take photos. If it is safe to do so and you are able, walk around your home to take photos of the damage for your insurance claim. The water damage restoration company should be able to do this as well, but it’s always good to have photos of your own just in case.
3. Temporary relocation arrangements. While it’s inconvenient, you might need to make arrangements for your family or pets who will be unable to enter the home until the restoration process has been completed.
Commercial Water Damage Emergency: First Steps to Take
If the water damage is happening at your commercial property, you will follow similar steps with a few additional elements to consider.
1. Notify key building personnel. It is essential to turn off water, electricity, and potentially gas in your building. If you are unable to perform these tasks, it is crucial to have the right building emergency personnel present to assist. This could include a building manager, maintenance person, or landlord. Even if you can manage the utility shut-offs, having the expertise of building professionals on-site or easily accessible is advisable when the restoration company arrives.
2. Have a plan for managing staff and operations. Considering the severity and area affected by water damage, it’s crucial to devise a plan for your employees, staff, and other building occupants. Determine whether normal business operations can continue during the cleanup and restoration process. Assess whether appointments and on-site commitments can be maintained or if rescheduling is necessary. Identify alternative safe locations for staff to work from or explore the option of remote work while the restoration company is on-site. Communicate with staff and all stakeholders about potential impacts on their roles during the water damage emergency.
3. Take photos. Just as in the case of documenting residential property damage emergencies, it’s essential to capture photos if you intend to file an insurance claim. If you can safely navigate the affected areas, take pictures yourself. Alternatively, if you lack the appropriate safety and protective gear, your restoration company can handle this documentation for you.
After the initial water damage cleanup has been completed, be sure to have the water damage restoration company assess the property for any signs of early or potential mold growth that may have begun as a result of the water damage incident. This will likely be a standard part of their process anyway, but you need to be familiar with the matter as well. Mold spores can even travel from areas of established growth through the air ducts to impact other areas of the building that were otherwise unaffected by the water damage situation. This can be especially problematic for commercial buildings due to health, safety, operational, and liability concerns.
Contact 1-800 Water Damage of North Dallas
If your water damage situation is an emergency, call the trained professionals at 1-800 Water Damage of North Dallas as soon as you are able! We will provide you with an assessment of the situation so you know exactly what you are dealing with, and we will be sure to communicate thoroughly with you throughout the cleanup and restoration process. Give us a call today!
