What to Do When Your Home is Damaged by Water, Fire, Storm, Flood, or Mold?

After a disaster or emergency occurs and affects your home or business, there are several critical actions that you should take immediately to minimize the damage and start to restore your home.

Because we live in a world where there is natural storms and disasters, and indoor plumbing, at some point you will probably find yourself dealing with a house flood. Statistics prove that point. Nearly 37% of U.S. homeowners have had a type of water damage, and almost 14,000 people experience a water disaster every day.

Water damage can be caused by a heavy rain or monsoon storm, a burst pipe, a sewer backup, a faulty appliance, or even rising floodwaters. There are obvious crucial steps that you should take to protect you and your home and get things clean and dry and back to beautiful as soon as possible.

When a serious storm makes its way through Tampa Bay, it can increase anxiety before, during and after. Sometimes, your house escapes without any damage. Unfortunately, other times, the damage can come to your doorstep, causing an unexpected situation that can be overwhelming and even traumatic.

What to do?

If your home or business is damaged by water, fire, storm, flood, or mold,   taking these actions in the hours and days afterward will help you make sure your home is not only safe to live in, but will be properly restored. Here are the actions to take after the damage.

Assess the damage

The first step after you experience severe weather or an emergency is to assess the damage. Determining the damage with assessments can help you discuss your needs with your contractor and insurance company to avoid unforeseen costs or discrepancies.

When looking at your roof to identify damaged areas, check for signs of exposed plywood, tarpaper, or missing shingles that can cause leaks. A quality property restoration company can do this for you and document it.

Make temporary fixes to minimize property damage

If your roof is severely damaged, an interior space can be damaged by leaking water and cause mold to grow. A quality property restoration company can temporarily waterproof using a strapped tarping method, while smaller repairs can be shingled immediately.

Contact a reputable property restoration company

Unfortunately contractors come to an area when a natural disaster hits to make and scam money from homeowners. Typically traveling contractors who follow storms may provide less than standard workmanship.

If you are experiencing any damage, please contact the experts at Synergy Property Restoration for a free evaluation? They can also be the main contact with your insurance company and get your home back to top living condition.

Always think safety first and above all else

Florida storms and hurricanes can cause serious problems ranging from annoying to dangerous. Look for potentially harmful situations such as a downed power line, jagged window, flooding or problems with a gas line. These situations can be very dangerous and should be handled with extreme care. If you smell gas, absolutely do not re-enter the home at all.

Document your damage

Thoroughly document your home’s damage from an emergency so that you have plenty of evidence when the time comes to file an insurance claim. A property restoration company can do this for you.

Contact your insurance company

An approved and qualified property restoration company can evaluate the damage done to your home and property and work directly with your insurance company on your behalf.

Choose a trustworthy and reliable property restoration company to repair and rebuild

When it comes to repairing your home after an emergency or storm damage, you want to make sure that you hire a qualified property restoration company who is local, has an excellent reputation and has all of the proper accreditations for restoration.

Evacuate if necessary

You may need to evacuate depending on the amount and type of damage. Make sure that you do not return home until after authorities advise that it is safe to do so.

Avoid downed power lines

Obviously do not get near or touch anything in contact with power lines, especially water or water puddles that may be near the downed power lines.

Seal up your home

Protect your property from additional damage. Hire a company to board up any broken windows or doors to help deter vandalism or additional weather damage.

Gas lines

Stay away from any gas lines that may have been damaged or broken during the storm. Stay out and off of the property until the utility company deems it safe.

Other hazards

When it comes to flooding, sharp or broken objects, damaged tree limbs or other structures that may have been damaged by high winds or water, be extremely cautious.

Contact our Synergy Property Restoration’s emergency response team at 855-630-4585, and we will find the right emergency response solution for you and your property.