How to Keep Your Family Safe After Flood Damage to Your Watertown Home

6/12/2019 (Permalink)

We work with licensed electricians to ensure water did not damage the wiring in your home.

Protecting Your Family Members after Flood Damage Affects Your Residence in Watertown 

Flooded areas contain many dangers, including hidden ones. Driving through Watertown can take residents into low-lying areas that leave roads submerged. When this happens, gauging the actual depth of the water can prove challenging. Driving into such areas can make your car or truck stall and leave you stranded.

Inside your Watertown home, flood damage also includes several dangers that can cause injury. After the water drains from your home and exposes sharp points and jagged, broken pieces of glass and other materials, you can easily avoid them. We wear heavy gloves as part of our personal protective equipment (PPE), reducing the risks of handling such debris. Other dangers are not as obvious.

Flood waters bring sand and other soils into your house which can harbor an assortment of pathogens. Just as these can cause health effects, the possibility of similar problems also comes from chemical residues. We regain control over the presence of pathogens and other organic matter through our use of different biocidal agents and sanitizing cleansers. However, these work best on things where these chemicals can make contact with surfaces. Copious amounts of organic matter neutralize the effects of quaternary compounds, which makes it crucial that we rid surfaces of any silt and grime that can contain organic matter before we apply any disinfectant.

Electrical outlets that went underwater during the flood become hazardous to use, but others that seem safe because they never became wet can also cause fires if you use them. When an appliance draws current through the lines, corroded circuits between the socket you are using and the main breaker box can rapidly overheat. We work with licensed electricians who understand the needs of your flood-damaged home.

The presence of water for an extended period can also leave floors weak, even when no visible sagging exists. Floors do not need to feel soft, either, to let someone fall through and sustain injuries. SERVPRO technicians can check the moisture content and determine if building specialists need to inspect the structure further. We want to find the safest blend of saving you money and ensuring a safe environment inside your home, both during our time restoring and as part of the final results.

SERVPRO of Jefferson County covers homes in Alexandria Bay, Adams, and Sackets Harbor. Call us at (315) 777-8377 for flood damage mitigation and restoration of your property.

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