Steps after flooding (summary of best lists compiled by a family that

Steps after flooding (summary of best lists compiled by

a family that has flooded twice) – Other sources indicated in

document.

Five phases:

1. Get organized

2. Demo phase

3. Dry out phase

4. Clean up and Disinfect phase

5. Rebuild

1. Get Organized

1.1. Call your mortgage company, car loan company, student loan & credit card

companies. Ask for a 3-month reprieve from payments. There should be no late

fees assessed. They will work with you. You may need the money to get back on

your feet (source HAR).

1.2. If you have flood insurance call the insurance company asap and start your

claim now. Get the reference number. Anything under water is covered.

Exceptions would be items that can be washed or stone countertops. Laminate

counters can be claimed because they are wood. Also any room that is below

grade is not covered. Take lots of photos. Make an inventory of what you have

lost.

1.3. USE A LOCAL CONTRACTOR!!! Lots of con-artists will try to take advantage.

Get estimates from a contractor for repairs. You don't need to use that contractor,

but the homeowner insurance company needs them. (note – if you have flood

insurance you can accommodate higher costs)

1.4. You will need the following:

1.4.1. A restoration company – that will assess damages, conduct the demo

part (or your contractor can do demo also), they will also be the ones drying

your house, cleaning it up and disinfecting it.

1.4.2. An insurance adjustor assigned by the insurance agent (in case you have

flood insurance). The person will be documenting and assessing the

damages. The adjustor does not need to be a local agent.

1.4.3. A general contractor to conduct all the rebuild work, you will need to

rebuild walls, floors, potentially cabinets, maybe electrical, depending on the

damage.

1.4.4. If you have flood insurance: you have the choice to wait until the insurance

funds the work to get going with the rebuild (it takes longer) or you can start

repairs asap and then be refunded by the insurance. If you don’t have a

mortgage the second option is the fastest. If you have a mortgage and flood

insurance, the check issued by NFIP (National Flood Insurance Program) will

go out to your address but in the bank’s name, and you will need an inspector

from the bank afterwards to get the money refunded to you. You can request

an advance as needed.

Inside The House

2. Demo Phase

2.1. After assessing the damage and taking all the photos, either yourself or the

restoration company will assess the water line using a moisture meter (preferably

pinless). The tool conducts electricity and measures the water content, as more

water will conduct more electricity. Mark the water line and cut sheetrock 2 ft.

above the water line. (Please note there is always a natural level of moisture that

depends on your area, so the tool will never read zero. Houston stays around

20%. Also anything metal will conduct electricity). Start measuring from the top

(dry area) and drag down tool along wall until you see the change. The tool will

tell you what it considers as wet. Also consider that sheetrock comes in 4 ft. width,

so it may be easier just to cut to that height.

2.2. Wear an N-95 mask any time you are indoors in a house that was flooded. I

contracted bacterial and fungal pneumonia from Sandy. I was on prednisone for

over 2 years. I gained 90 lbs. from prednisone. Otherwise I could have been in

the hospital for a few weeks to a month. (Source HAR)

2.3. As soon as it is possible, empty your home of items that are destroyed. If it has a

plug, it is lost. If it runs on gas or electricity and was under water, it is trash. Cut

drywall to 4' (the width of drywall.). It saves time and money when you are

replacing it. You don’t need sledge hammers. Draw a line 4' above the floor. Cut

with a razor blade. Put one hole in the wall and grab and pull. Hopefully you have

drywall nails in there and not screws. Remove insulation from that same area.

Feel above for dampened insulation. If it is damp, go 2' higher. (Source HAR)

2.4. If it has a plug or an outlet and it was under water, DO NOT USE IT. Water and

electricity do not mesh. Those outlets will corrode over time and house fires start

- even in the future. This is especially important if this was salt or brackish water.

Salt will corrode the wiring and outlets faster. And BX corrodes faster than Romex.

(Source HAR)

3. Dry out phase

Source: https://www.houselogic.com/finances-taxes/home-insurance/water-damage-home-repair/

3.1. As much as possible, take steps to dry out quickly in order to mitigate water

damage and save your possessions. Drying out after water damage should top

any cleanup priority list. If you can dry items within 48 hours, you might salvage

many goods, and avoid mold and rust.

3.2. Move Air Naturally If humidity isn’t too high, open windows and doors to start air

circulating. Open closet and cabinet doors, and remove drawers.

3.3. Move Air Mechanically. Rent or buy high-powered fans to rev up air circulation.

Depending on size and power, fans cost between $50 and $500 to buy; $20 a day

to rent. (Do not use your central air conditioner or furnace blower if HVAC ducts

were under water). Note: if you hire a restoration company, they will bring the fans.

3.4. Dehumidify. A portable dehumidifier can remove water vapor from the air in a

contained area, like a bedroom or downstairs rec room. Shut the room’s windows

and doors to prevent more humidity from seeping in. Buy a big dehumidifier ($270)

so you don’t have to empty its water drawer frequently.

3.5. Pump Water A sump pump is a submersible pump that continuously moves water

out of the house through a hose or pipe. If you have standing water that is several

inches deep, a sump pump can help. Rent a sump pump for about $44 a day, or

purchase one for $100 and up.

3.6. Wet/Dry Shop Vac Some shop vacuums are rated for use in wet conditions.

These vacuums suck water from carpets and give you a fighting chance to save

rugs and wall-to-walls. Don’t use an ordinary household vacuum whose innards

are not protected from water. A 6-gallon wet/dry vacuum costs $50; a 16-gallon

goes for about $170.

3.7. Remove Sodden Objects Haul wet rugs and furniture into the sun to reduce

inside moisture level. Remove sheet vinyl or linoleum flooring to promote

maximum evaporation. Throw out wet insulation under floors.

3.8. Freeze Papers To buy time, place wet books and photos into plastic bags and

place in a frost-free freezer. This will stop additional deterioration, and prevent

mold and mildew. When you have time, retrieve books from the freezer and air-

or fan-dry the pages.

3.9. Absorb Moisture Desiccants (silica gel, clay, calcium oxide) absorb moisture like

a sponge. Place water-permeable packages of desiccants and wet items in airtight

containers or in sealed areas, like closets. Some desiccants change color to

indicate they are saturated, which can take days or weeks, depending on how

much moisture items contain.

4. Clean up and disinfect Phase

4.1. Once you are sure you have all the wetness gone (measure walls’ moisture) and

the walls are down to the studs, spray with bleach. You don't want mold to grow.

Make sure your windows are open. Wear a mask. Everything will mold or mildew

if not treated. It is not worth your health in the long run. (Source HAR). Restoration

companies use a strong biocide. You can buy “Mold Control” (concrobium) at

Home Depot. Use a spray. Wear a mask and do not have anyone (animals, plants,

food) at the house for at least 24 hrs. when you spray.

4.2. Solid wood furniture? Spray with bleach or Wet and Forget from hardware stores.

Bleach is less expensive. (Source HAR). You can restore solid wood furniture

later. Particle board gets destroyed. This includes doors or Ikea-type furniture

(they absorb water and warp).

4.3. Washing clothes exposed to flood waters: (source

https://www.click2houston.com/news/how-to-clean-clothes-after-a-flood).

The American Cleaning Institute has tips for cleaning clothing after a flooding or

major disaster.

a) Scrap and shake off dirt and other residue from clothes as soon as possible.

b) Prewash fabrics in cool water. Hot water may set in stains. Use small loads

with a full water level and allow clothes to rinse and spin dry. *Don't pack the

washer with clothing. Measure detergent into the water, then add water and

allow detergent to thoroughly dissolve before adding clothes.

c) Pretreat: Once you have done the prewashing, pretreat clothes with stain

remover. *To help remove protein stains, such as sewage, grass or blood, add

an enzyme presoak product to the prewash.

d) Wash: When washing use the hottest water safe for fabrics and use powdered

laundry detergent. The powder is more effective in removing clay and ground

in dirt. Since clothing may have been contaminated with sewage you need to

add disinfectant to the wash. You can use liquid household bleach.

*Important note: If your detergent happens to include bleach, this is not enough

to disinfect your clothes. You will still need to add bleach.

*Check out rinse water: continue to wash clothes until they are clean. Look at

the rinse water and if the water is dirty or cloudy the clothes need to be washed

again. If the water is clear, clothes should be clean.

Important Details: *Mildew is difficult to remove and if it's too bad your clothing

may be beyond repair.

*Don't dry clothes until you are satisfied with the results because the heat will

set in the stains.

For more details and additional tips for cleaning other items in the home check

out the American Cleaning Institute.

http://www.cleaninginstitute.org/clean_living/tips_on_laundering_floodsoiled_f

abrics.aspx

5. Rebuild Phase

5.1. Expect the rebuild to be as any other remodel project. Make sure that there is no

electrical or plumbing damage and address before rebuilding walls. Expect that

this will take at least 3 months on average to fix. From the time you begin tossing

things out to the final paint coat. If you choose to rebuild to be flood-proof, there

are material selections included below to help you rebuild for flood prone areas

(which will not need to be replaced after flooding):

5.1.1. Use closed cell foam insulation instead of traditional insulation, the best

guy we have found so far (and reasonably priced) in Houston is Michael

Young, EcoFoam, 713-428-8436. Be careful with the contractor as if the mix

is not done correctly the house can end up being condemned.

5.1.2. After applying the closed cell foam, we replaced the sheetrock using

gypsum with fiberglass boards. These walls can be floated and sanded just

like with normal sheetrock (you can use concrete sheet also but it would be

more expensive). We placed the boards leaving about a 2" gap from the floor,

that way if we flood again we just have to remove baseboard, dry and sanitize.

In Houston, the best place to get the special boards is at action gypsum in

West Little York 713-896-4002. They have the following brands: Georgia

Pacific's Dens armor plus, 1/2" 4'x8' ~$15/sheet, National Gypsum's EXP

Interior extreme, 1/2" 4'x8' ~$16/sheet

5.1.3. Doors: Our contractor bought us some special doors made with fiberglass

and foam.

5.1.4. Floors: We just put tile everywhere, it really looks fantastic and is very easy

to clean.

5.1.5. As a rule of thumb, anything with wood (i.e. furniture or doors) should be

solid wood, anything else will swell with the water.

5.2. This link shows how to build drainable and dryable walls

http://www.lsuagcenter.com/MCMS/RelatedFiles/%7BC29620C7-29F3-4F8F-9FBE-

169D1A365456%7D/FloodHardyWall.pdf

God bless you all and keep your hearts open to understanding the hidden

blessings these disasters may bring. Alessandra B.