Recovering Safely After Flash Flooding
August brought the usual hurricanes in some areas of PA and surrounding states. Basement flooding occurs depending on the location and land mass involved.
Flooding is simply water overflowing or soaking the land quickly and extensively so that it cannot be absorbed or contained. Many homeowners had to quickly remove water from their basements after the August “hurricane season.”
According to National Geographic Magazine, there are few places on earth where flooding will not occur at some time or another.
Also, according to the magazine, which keeps a close watch on flooding, floods usually occur over time. Still, some can happen quickly, leaving homes and properties with a basement that resembles an indoor swimming pool in a matter of hours. This is called “flash flooding.”
Interestingly enough, floods are the second most common natural disaster on earth, next to earthquakes.
Preparedness assists, but when a flood occurs quickly, the water must be removed immediately and safely as there are hazards involved, including electrical hazards when a basement floods.
After a basement is restored, whether from a coastal flood or the inability of a land mass to absorb heavy rains, all the states within the US are at risk of floods, and basement waterproofing experts are quite busy at the time of flooding.
Of course, the first step is removing all the water from the basement. This is a given. There are caveats here though, as flood waters carry dirt, grime, silt, and germs with it. This is deposited in a basement during a flood or even surrounding the outside of a home.
Again, National Geographic Magazine keeps track of all flooding and flooding issues and found that in the US alone, there is an average of about 100 deaths a year from flooding and 7.5 billion dollars in damage.
Homes can be destroyed by rot that occurs when waterproofing methods do not remove all the water and silt as a foundation will be impaired. Individuals living in a home can inadvertently be exposed to germs and viruses that can cause deadly diseases.
The EPA (Environment Protection Agency) of the US government, considers floods an environmental hazard, as a rapid succession of floods causes the land mass to not recover sufficiently, and the survivors of a flood can be exposed to the risks of bacteria and germs in flood water silt that remains for quite some time.
It is a wise homeowner to follow up water removal with a second inspection to remove silt, check for mold and bacteria, and ensure everything is waterproofed as much as possible before another flood occurs without warning.
For more information on the Basement Gurus, visit our website at https://basementwaterproofinggurus.com/ or call us at 1-800-834-6584.