By Ross Morrell

Flood waters pose many risks to personal health and safety. Use the following information to help protect you against illness or injury during a flood event.

How to Avoid Illness

Flood waters are polluted with disease-causing organisms and chemicals. Always wash your hands with soap and properly treated water before preparing or eating food, after toilet use, after participating in flood cleanup activities, and after handling articles contaminated with flood water or sewage. If you receive a wound during clean-up activities, consult a doctor about whether a tetanus vaccine booster is necessary.

How to Make Sure Your Food is Safe

Do not eat any food that may have come into contact with flood water. Discard any food not in a waterproof container if there is any chance that it has come into contact with flood water. Undamaged, commercially canned foods can be saved if you remove the can labels, thoroughly wash the cans with soap and water, and immerse them in a disinfection solution consisting of 15 mL (1 Tbsp) of unscented, household bleach in 5 liters of water. Be cautious when handling bleach, use a ventilated area and avoid splashes. Use a marker to re-label your cans with the contents and expiration dates – do not reuse the original labels. Food containers with screw-caps, snap-lids, crimped caps (soda pop bottles), twist caps, flip tops, and home canned foods should be discarded if they have come into contact with flood water because they cannot be disinfected.

Spoiled food does not always have an unusual odor, color, or taste. Discard any normally refrigerated food that has been at room temperature for two hours or more. Thawed food can usually be eaten or refrozen if it is still “refrigerator cold”, or if it still contains ice crystals. To be safe remember – “when in doubt, throw it out”.

How to Make Sure Your Water Is Safe

Listen for public announcements on the safety of municipal water supplies and for boil water advisory information.

Avoid consuming untreated water from private wells that have become flooded, or if contamination is suspected. Private water wells that have been affected by flooding will need to be disinfected and tested after flood waters recede. Water wells that have been impacted by heavy rains should also be tested before they are considered safe for using.

If you suspect or have been advised that your water is unsafe, use bottled, boiled or distilled water for drinking, cooking and personal hygiene.

Details may vary among the many sources of information available on how to treat water to make it safe. We recommend you refer to the following general rules concerning water for drinking, cooking and personal hygiene:
- If your well is directly affected by river water, or you suspect your well has become polluted by chemicals, boiling water may not render it safe – use an alternative safe source such as bottled water for drinking or cooking.
- Do not use contaminated or untreated water to wash dishes, wash your hands, brush your teeth, prepare or cook food, or to make ice, juice or baby formula.
- Do not resume use of untreated water from your well until testing confirms the well is safe.
- Boiling water, when practical, is the preferred way to kill harmful bacteria and parasites. Bringing water to a rolling boil for 1 minute is sufficient to disinfect the water under most conditions. If the water is cloudy (turbid), highly colored, or suspected to be heavily contaminated, the water should be boiled for 2 minutes to ensure thorough disinfection.
- Use a bleach solution to rinse water storage containers before reusing them. Do not use any container for water storage that may have been previously used to store chemicals.

How to Deal with Physical and Chemical Hazards

Do not attempt to move displaced chemical containers or propane tanks as these may be punctured and present a risk to safety. Before entering your home make sure the building is structurally safe. Look for buckled walls or floors. Watch for holes in the floor, broken glass and other potentially dangerous debris.

How to Deal with Electric and Gas Utilities

Avoid any downed power lines, particularly those in water. Avoid electrical shock by wearing rubber boots in an area flooded with more than two inches of standing water. Keep extension cords out of the water. If the power is on in the flooded area, shut it off immediately at the breaker box. If conditions are wet around the breaker box, sand on a dry board and use a dry stick to turn off the switch. Consult your utility company if you require assistance. All electrical equipment and appliances must be completely dry before returning them to service. It is advisable to have a certified electrician check these items if there is any question.

Natural gas or propane tanks should be shut off to avoid fire or explosions until it is safe to use them. Use battery-powered flashlights and lanterns. If you smell gas or suspect a leak, turn off the main gas valve, open all windows, and leave the house immediately. Notify the gas company or the police or fire departments, and do not turn on the lights or do anything that could cause a spark. Also, remember not to operate any gas powered equipment indoors.

How to Deal with Flood Impacted Housing Material and Furniture

Do not allow children into the house or yard until everything has been cleaned and disinfected. If children must be present during clean-up, supervise them closely. Do not attempt to save any absorbent articles and/or housing materials that have been exposed to sewage or river water. Surfaces and items that are salvageable must be cleaned first with soap and clean water, rinsed, and then disinfected.

Rebuilding After the Flood

Flood have caused considerable damages all throughout the world and but people have learnt rebuilding after the flood no matter how devastating the flood had been. US government has also launched various programs and formed various committees for rebuilding after the flood.

Things are not so easy as they seem on the face value. The whole scenario of rebuilding after the flood depends upon what kinds of water has entered the house. The white water flood is usually the one with clean water sweeping into the houses. This is clean water and creates dampness and wet atmosphere. You can clean up quickly once the floodwater recedes. The mold start growing after 72 hours of dampness and with the white water flood you need to take care of only the wetness and the dampness. You can hire the professionals or can clean up your self.

But there are cases when the water comes in contact with some foreign material and may gather dirt or other foreign matter. This kind of flood is gray water flood. You need to take care of the contamination as well as the dampness. You shall need to get the water checked or the material analyzed to check for the type of contamination or type of foreign matter present in the flood. This may need a little more work than the clean water.

The worst kind of flood is when the water comes in contact with sewage or bad contaminants. This is the black water, which needs to be taken utmost care. Usually you shall be required to throw away whatever has come in contact with the water. Anything soft or perishable definitely goes out. Hard surfaces made of glass; stone etc can be washed and rinsed with soap water. But the water required for cleaning of these things needs to be boiled first.

If black water enters the dry wall in the house it needs to be cut out and replaced.  For cutting these you shall need to cut the wall minimum 12 inches above the highest point of water level. The studs in the wall also need to be disinfected, cleaned and dried. It shall be the case with the cupboards as well.

Rebuilding after the flood is required most in case of wooden furniture as wood is the most probable candidate to suffer maximum losses from the flood. The doorframes and any wood surface are surely destroyed by the floodwater.  Rebuilding after the flood usually begins after the water level has receded. If the water has set a little longer then the baseboards shall need to be changed just in case if the water has logged in. Tile floor shall also need to be replaced as well. In most of the cases carpets are usually ruined.

So when you start rebuilding after the floods just check out the type of water and its contamination. It would be a lot helpful to clean up afterwards.

Water Damage to Hardwood Floors

Water plays an important dual role in everyone’s life. It is not only an essence of living but if it crosses its boundaries it can create long lasting damages. It is a solvent, which can dissolve even granite and steel. But when this water reaches the grounds of the floorings, it creates a mess in it. The water damage to hardwood floors is a common problem with the flooring of hardwood. With this damage the hardwood flooring starts cracking and swelling resulting thereafter in short circuit of electrical components.

It is an eternal truth that water and wood cannot be together as it is always harmful. Even if the water stays on the sealed or waxed flooring for a longer time, it leaves a stain on it. Proper care and precautions should be taken to save water damage to hardwood floors. If the floor is exposed to water, the floor will lose its luster even after a very good finish. It can turn into serious problems like warping etc.

When any liquid spills on it, you should immediately wipe it with a soft, dry cloth. Make sure to clean the edges of the spill as from there only it leaks inside. Never let water stand on the flooring. For clean up also, use only wet cloth. Do not even mop or damp mop the wax sealed floors.

After taking al the possible precautions if there is water damage to hardwood floors then there are various ways to correct the damages. To remove the white stains on the surface finish, take a soft cotton cloth and any mild abrasive such as toothpaste or so and mix the two to buff the finish till the stain goes away. To remove black stains or white water stains from wood firstly take a painter’s masking tape and mask off the surrounding boards. Then remove the wax or any other surface finish. Make a dissolved solution of oxalic acid crystals with hot water and pour it on the stained area with a brush or a sponge. Keep on repeating the same, by brushing off crystals after drying, till the stain goes away. Take care that you are wearing goggles and hand gloves while using the oxalic acid solution. Thus in this way the water damage to hardwood floors can be prevented.

Water Damage Reconstruction

Water damage arises due to various reasons like flooding, blocked drains, storms etc. All these reasons leave back a complete ruined scenario. Water damage reconstruction is a tough task to be done. It needs an appropriate treatment depending upon the intensity of the damage.

Water damage problem should be treated fast otherwise it starts posing a serious threat to furnishings, walls, floors and ceilings and within 48 hours it may start turning to a mold damage. Reconstruction basically begins after the removal of all the waste and non-usable materials from the site. And reconstruction is considered finished when the site comes to the normal location after replacing all the replaceable items.

Water damage reconstruction is done stepwise. After the assessment of the damage and stabilizing the environment, the establishment priorities for reconstruction are made. There are different rules applicable for different reconstructions. Priorities are set according to what has to be stored and what need not be. After this the financial plan is made which includes the details of cost involved in reconstruction and the amount available for it. After this then the decision is made that which part needs reconstruction first and which part can be held back for the same. Finally the water damage reconstruction begins.

It is important to understand that reconstruction is not a day’s task. It needs time to accomplish it as it is a complex process. Water damage reconstruction speed should not be compared to the water damage repair. Water damage repair is basically an emergency assistance provided whereas water damage reconstruction is relocating the site to its previous state after removal of all the waste and damaged unusable items.

In large-scale water damage reconstruction, it may take from six months to sometimes 4-5 years also. This is because the reconstruction speed goes according to the plan and appropriation of funds. Even after that there are some logistic, practical and legal limitations, which have to be taken care. In some of the cases of large-scale water damage reconstruction public tendering procedure needs to be followed to give chance to other countries to bid for it. After that proposals are submitted, evaluated and then finalized. This whole procedure takes round about six months.

Rug Flood Damage Service

When the area is affected by flood, there are many companies, which provide their service to recover that damage. In that the rug flood damage service is also provided as the floodwater damages the carpets and the rugs, which is a part of expensive investment of the house.

In the rug flood damage service, they provide you with professionals who come to clean or repair the water soaked rugs and carpets. They discard the wall-to-wall carpeting; maximum of the large area rugs and the rugs with foam backing as contaminated water affects them. In the rug flood damage service, they follow their own cleaning and drying methods for the rugs and the carpets soaked with contaminated water. They generally follow the steam cleaning method for it in which hot water extraction is done. The steps of cleaning should be done soon to avoid the growth of mild and mildew. The carpets, which cannot be removed, can be dried up with wet/ dry vacuum system.

The rug flood damage service professionals decide whether the rug or the carpet is worth using again or not. If the flood damage water consists of clean basement seepage then drying and cleaning is no problem but if the floodwater is sewage contaminated then it becomes necessary to discard the rug or carpet watching your health safety measure. Such type of carpets may contain infectious organisms.  The washable accent and the throw rugs can be reused after cleaning them properly. You can put them out to remove excess dirt, if they are dry but if they are wet then hose them off to remove mud before you put them in washer. They should be machine washed with strong detergent and hot water. The use of bleach powder helps you to remove the odor in the rugs. Machine wash is preferably only for small rugs whereas the large rugs can be sent to laundry for cleaning. They wash or dry clean all the clothing, curtains etc. and clean the rugs and carpets affected by floods as well as fires.

Ceiling Repair Water Damage

When you get a tea colored stain appearing on your plaster ceiling, it means now it is the time for ceiling repair water damage. If you don’t take the required action to repair the ceiling, it would damage more and may even collapse also.

Plaster ceilings are the most common type of ceiling and they do get dinged or cracked with age. You should go for ceiling repair water damage otherwise it may start looking bad and after that may start crashing down as well.

Major ceiling repair water damage should be taken care by a job professional only whereas small tips may be applied for non-major ones like cracks or other cosmetic atrocities, so that they don’t turn into an expensive repair.

Firstly you should take care of the source of water damage before beginning with any repair. When the cracks on the walls are less than ¼ inch and they are not too wide, then the ceiling repair water damage can be done on your own but if they are larger than this, then do not take the risk of involving yourself into the matter. To patch a crack, the simple procedure is to use a patching plaster to coat and thereafter to sand the area. Then the simple prime and paint over the patch will make the work done.

To save yourself from the trouble of ceiling repair water damage, try to control before this damage only. Repair all the water stained ceilings. Seal the stain with a stain sealer followed by a repaint. Then look in for the missing or damaged part in the roofing. If the roof flaking is leaking, fix it properly as they may turn into serious roof leaking. The damage is not likely to be every time in the middle of the ceiling. It may be sometimes in the sidings also. Any area of leaking sidings should be repaired. You should keep all the downspouts and gutters clean, as they may be cause of damage for you. You should try to keep your basement clean and water free. If due to any mishap, there is water in the basement, try to dry it out fast before it turns into a mold growth.