What to Do After Your House Floods?
This article covers all of the information and advice so that you would know what to do after your house floods? 1st Call Drainage has put together the next steps you should take to help get your house cleaned up and back to normal, whilst ensuring yours and everyone else’s safety. So for peace of mind and to get your house back to how it was, read on.
When to enter your house after a flood
If your electricity has not been shut off at the fuse box, do not re-enter your home. Do not put yourself or anyone else at risk. Wait until the emergency services, electricians and Gas Safe engineers give you the OK to enter your property – this is to reduce the risk of electrocution and gas leaks. Do not turn anything back on until your property has been professionally surveyed.
Should you smell gas or are concerned about the gas safety within your property, call the national gas emergency number: 0800 111 999.
Notify your insurance of the flood in your home
Although almost impossible to immediately calculate the damages caused to your property by the flood, you’ll be able to find out from your insurance whether they’ll be able to provide short-term accommodation.
If your insurance does not cover alternative accommodation you should:
- Try to stay with family or friends
- Rent somewhere locally
- Go to a local hotel or guesthouse
- Check your local housing authority
Recording flood damages
To make your insurance claim as straightforward as possible be sure to:
- Take pictures before, after and during clearance (including the shell of the property and its belongings)
- Write out an inventory of everything that’s been damaged (model, age, brand)
- Keep all damaged items until your insurance has been accepted
- Locate and keep all relevant receipts
Getting rid of excess floodwater from your home
If plenty of water still remains in your home, you can try to get in contact with your local fire brigade to see if they can help you pump the water out, but responding to fires are their priority – so they may be busy or have to stop in the middle of the process when they’re called out to an emergency.
You can hire pumps but permits are required to pump the wastewater into sewers or rivers.
Making your home secure after a flood
After a house flood, it’s likely that your windows, doors and external gates have become impaired by the water or by the emergency services who have needed to enter the property. In which case, you will need to secure your home to protect your property from further damage or theft.
Before replacing your windows, doors or gates, check your insurance policy to see if they will cover the costs. It’s likely that the insurance won’t cover your external gates in the garden or on your driveway but it’s worth looking into. Ensure you use temporary measures whilst you wait for full replacements or repairs, especially if you decide to carry on living in the property.
Be sure to take pictures before any work is done to your damaged property and keep your receipts safe for any items you purchase to fix these issues, whether temporary or permanent.
For those who may not have insurance, speak to your local citizen’s advice bureau who will be able to guide and advise.
Cleaning up your home after a flood
- Open spaces that will provide your home with ventilation
- Use a dehumidifier (drying out your home takes weeks or sometimes months)
- Record everything you want to claim on your insurance
- Remove damaged plasterboards
- Remove carpets and soft furnishings affected by the flood
- Remove silt or debris
Is my property at risk of flooding? You may ask yourself – check here to see if you’re at risk.
Here at 1st Call Drain Clearance and Technical Services for a fast response, expert assistance and competitive prices throughout central London. With a wealth of experience in the industry, we’re here to provide comprehensive services to domestic and commercial clients who are experiencing issues with drainage systems. Contact us today, we operate 24/7 and can guarantee that we will be on-site in just two hours, should you require our emergency services.