What Should You Do if Your Basement Floods?

1/6/2021 (Permalink)

A basement flood is a serious event

What Should You Do if Your Basement Floods?

A basement flood is a serious event for homeowners in Virginia Gardens, FL. Depending on the severity, it can cause damage to many parts of a house:

• Walls
• Flooring
• Foundation undermining
• Personal items

Reacting quickly to the flood is essential to save money and facilitate restoration. Here’s how to deal with this disaster.

What Should You Do First?
Is the basement flood a result of widespread flooding, or is it localized to your immediate area? A major flood disaster means water is likely to keep coming in until the areal flood dissipates.
If your home is flooded with water surrounding your home, you must consider it contaminated. It may have a fecal matter or other substances in it. Don’t try to remove this blackwater yourself! Call a local professional water damage restoration company to react as quickly as possible.
If the water is from a broken supply pipe, it can be considered clean. You need to immediately turn off the water in this case. Locate the shut-off valve nearest to the leak. If you don’t know where that is, shut off water to your entire house right away. That gives you time to either locate a closer shut-off point or call a professional.

What About Insurance Coverage?
What is covered is usually dependent on the cause of the damage. Virtually no homeowner’s insurance policies cover a flood. You need a special policy offered by the nonprofit National Flood Insurance Program to receive any help from insurance.
However, a broken pipe or sewer line usually is covered, as long as you react within a reasonable time. If you’re away on vacation and come home to a broken pipe, that should still normally be covered, as you had no way to know about the problem. That being said, if you ignore an ongoing leak, your insurance company can deny your coverage.
Act quickly in the case of water in your home. If the basement flood is found right away and the accumulated water immediately removed, the damage can be negligible.