6 Steps to Take After a Basement Flood

A basement flood is not something that anyone wants to deal with. It often leads to personal items getting destroyed and the mould growth shortly after. Even the smallest amount of water can cause serious damage to wherever it is.

If you recently had a basement flood, there are steps you should take immediately afterwards to help prevent any further damage. Take a look at our guide below of six steps to follow after a basement flood.

Ensure It’s Safe to Go Downstairs

The first thing you want to do is ensure that the area is safe for you to go into. If you have any electronics downstairs, especially if the circuit breaker is down there. Water and electricity do not mix, and it poses a serious threat to anyone in the area.

Quickly Remove the Water

You don’t want the water to sit for too long. After you’ve assessed the situation and it’s safe for you to go downstairs, you want to begin removing the water as quickly as possible. The longer the water stands there, the more damage it does.

Try to pump the water out through a window. Just make sure the house is far enough away from your home to prevent the water from coming back in. You may need to go the old fashion way and use buckets. For the last little bit, a mop and pale should suffice.

Start Airing Out the Basement

Open any windows in the basement to allow fresh air to help dry everything out. Set up fans to circulate the air. If you can, have the fan near a window the sucks up the moisture and pushes it outside. You want to remove as much humidity and moisture as possible.

Assess the Damage

There will likely be some damage to the basement, especially if anything was sitting on the floor. Take some time to assess the damage. Salvageable objects should get put somewhere to dry out. Make a note of everything damaged for your insurance company.

Watch for Mould

Mould is the last thing you want to deal with if you have water in your home. Not only is mould an unpleasant sight, but it is also always quite dangerous to your health. You want to ensure that any mould you do find is effectively removed.

Prevent mould from growing in the first place by drying the basement as much as possible. Wash down the walls and everything that was covered in water. Remove wet carpet and cut out any chunks of the drywall that has water damage.

Hire Help

In some circumstances, your best bet is to hire help to get the job done. If the water is quite significant, you could cause more damage by doing it yourself, as it will likely take you more time than what a company would do.

Cleaning up after a flood is critical to prevent further damage to the building, and to prevent any health risks from developing.