It is an unfortunate fact that flooding can and does occur in millions of commercial and residential properties each year. In recent times, severe weather events have become more common around the world and scientists believe that there is a direct link between these and humankind’s activities that are contributing to climate change and global warming. Many homeowners and business leaders will have suffered the effects of flooding on their residential or commercial properties.
Put simply, the effects of severe flooding can be devastating and extremely costly to fully repair. There is a wide range of steps to consider when severe flooding has taken place. It is vitally important to act quickly in the event of severe property flooding as this can help to minimize the potential for long-term damage to the building. This article provides helpful information on some of the key steps to consider when flooding damage occurs to either commercial or residential properties.
Consult your insurance policy
It is good practice to take a thorough look at your building insurance, including what it covers and what it does not. Ideally, this should take place proactively (i.e., before flooding has taken place) so that you have a clear idea of the level of protection against flooding that your policy provides. Remember that not all building insurance is the same and the level of cover can vary to a considerable extent. If your home or commercial property insurance plan does not include cover for flooding, it may be wise to take out an additional policy that specifically covers property flooding.
In the event of significant damage to property due to flooding, it is important to contact your insurance provider immediately. They may require detailed photos or video of the scale of the flood damage and will require detailed information on how the flooding occurred (i.e., was it due to severe weather or because of a burst pipe or malfunctioning equipment). Put simply, your insurance company needs full information on the nature and scale of flood damage so that they can determine how it affects your policy and the nature of assistance that they can provide in response to the flooding.
Equipment considerations
After thoroughly assessing the extent of flood damage, you may conclude that you are able to do some, or all the repair and restoration work yourself. This may be a more cost-effective option if you find that your insurance plan does not cover the flooding that has occurred, and you are suitably skilled in this field. If you choose this route, it is important to buy or hire suitable equipment to undertake the work. In both commercial and residential settings, it is likely that flooding will have caused damage and saturation to carpeted areas of the property.
You will need to investigate the purchase or hire of carpet blowers as this is a key piece of equipment that will restore carpets that have suffered from water damage if the work takes place quickly after the event. In addition, it is wise to invest in some protective clothing and breathing equipment depending on the severity of the damage and how it has impacted the air quality in the property.
If you’re facing the challenging situation of a severely flooded property in a flood zone AE in Florida, it is important to know more about flood insurance and how it can assist you in recovering from such disasters. Learn how to deal with a severely flooded property and protect your investment by exploring your options for flood insurance coverage.