SERVPRO Tips: How to deal with torrential rains when they hit your home or business

10/1/2022 (Permalink)

When the sticky, hot air common during the “dog days” of summer collides with a cold front hinting of fall, Portage can be deluged with torrential rain. Areas of the city struggle with stormwater runoff issues, with flash flooding threatening to invade the lower levels of homes in locations with poor drainage history. If your home is the unfortunate recipient of unwanted water because of overland flooding, we can help manage it safely and quickly.

Poorly Maintained Gutters and Downspouts Contribute to Flooding

If it has been some time since your roof drainage system has had attention, clogged gutters and disconnected drains could be making flood damage in Portage more intense. When the system does not guide roof runoff properly, excess water saturates the ground right next to your foundation and can seep inside. The water moves through cracks or even straight through the semi-porous materials like cinder blocks or concrete that form the walls of the foundation. Wet moves to dry, and if the extra water has nowhere else to go, it can force its way inside to flood your basement.

Flood Water Contains Contaminants

Professional mitigation and remediation follow a thorough professional assessment of all aspects of residential flood damage. Our managers and technicians complete comprehensive training developed by the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) before working on your project. We master the techniques needed to pump and extract and then contain floodwaters. Our technicians expect that water is contaminated with road and landscaping chemicals, sewage, organic waste such as dead animals and vegetation, topsoil, and silt. Our team follows local regulations when disposing of contaminated fluids, for your health and welfare and also that of the community. We clean and disinfect all affected surfaces with EPA-registered products to inhibit mold and other pathogen growth.

Thorough Structural Drying Must Follow Flood Water Removal

Removing flood waters is just the first step to complete flood damage mitigation and remediation. We follow up with a drying plan designed to return the moisture levels of structural components to normal readings. We use air movers and heaters to facilitate the transfer of absorbed water to vapor. Then we use evaporative or desiccant dehumidifiers to capture the moisture for off-site disposal.

SERVPRO of Porter County is ready to respond if your home suffers flooding from late summer storms. Call (219) 476-1883 day or night, secure in the knowledge that We’re Faster To Any Size Disaster.

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