What is the Best Way to Remediate Storm Damage in Chicago?

8/27/2021 (Permalink)

Flood waters can quickly deteriorate the contents and structure of your home. Do not delay! Contact our SERVPRO flood damage remediation team.

Flood Damage Cleanup and Flood Precautions for Your Chicago Home

Floods have been the most common and costly natural disasters among all weather-related incidents in the United States, with Chicago being no exception. Understanding the threats that floods can pose is essential to staying safe during one of these events as a homeowner. The dangers do not disappear once the water levels stop rising.

Besides needing help restoring your Chicago home from the flood damage created by the storm, there are some things to be aware of to keep you and your family safe. While SERVPRO can help you get rid of the water and dry your home back out, there are precautions you can take in the meantime.

While you wait for our SERVPRO technicians to help you, be aware of damaged utilities. Water might have damaged electrical power. Lower any fire hazards by shutting off these utilities if you safely can do so, especially if there is fraying wiring, an odor, or sparks present. Turn the power off only if you can do so from a location that is dry. If not, call an electrician for help.

Keep your contact with dirty water to a minimum. Any standing floodwater can pose different hazards. It can have mixed with sewage or other harmful substances like chemicals. It can even be hiding sharp objects or downed power lines. Also, avoid traveling through the water, do not walk or try to drive through any standing water since the road underneath could be blocked by debris or compromised. With moving water, try to get to high ground to get away from the flooding whenever you can.

Our first goal is to get the standing water safely out of your home, and we have the professional tools and gear to help us do this safely for all. We also want to do the job quickly and efficiently. The sooner we can get your home dry again, the less chance there is for mold growth. If mold is found, we also can clean and take care of that for you.

Flood Damage Mitigation and Restoration in Chicago Are Cornerstones of SERVPRO Services

There are some factors we look at when restoring a property that has suffered flood damage. It all starts with understanding everything about the incident. Factors may include the time the standing water has spent on the structure, the contamination risks the source of water is likely to cause, the depth of the water, and the time that has elapsed since the event was reported in Chicago.

Before our SERVPRO technicians can start any flood damage remediation work in Chicago, we remove items such as draperies and furnishings from the site that are movable to mitigate continuing water damage. Salvageable contents can also be stored in a humidity-controlled area - preferably less than 60 % - to reduce the chances of mold growth. If we have to store the cleaned contents on the site, then we introduce a positive pressure in the storage area to prevent a possible movement of contamination from the contaminated areas. We can use plastic sheeting to separate the two areas to minimize cross-contamination and moisture migration.

Disastrous flooding can be dealt with according to the inherent dangers to the structure and its contents. When removing, cleaning, and treating contaminated surfaces and contents, we must keep the site under negative pressure compared to other parts of the floor or structure. We achieve this by using an air mover or vacuum having HEPA filters. At the end of the process, we have to remove the filter and place them in plastic bags ready for disposal.

Our SERVPRO team also removes flood-damaged porous materials that contain bacterial and mold since they can cause harmful effects. For instance, we remove and discard mold-contaminated porous items such as insulation, carpets, drywall, and carpet padding. The same may apply to wet ceiling tiles that has been exposed to wetness for 24 - 72 hours. It is difficult to clean mold damage if it has already developed within porous contents, and discarding such items is the workable option.

SERVPRO of Hyde Park / E. Bridgeport / Bronzeville understands that drying your home in Woodlawn, Kenwood, or South Shore out as quickly as possible after flooding is essential for the safety of your family and the structure itself. Reach out to us as soon as the storms subside by dialing (312) 509-5000, so we can help you.