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Salvaging Belongings After Flood Water Damage
There have been literally thousands of people in our country alone in recent years that have had their homes flooded either a little or a lot because of storms that have wreaked havoc in certain areas. The hurricane Katrina victims come to mind first, but there have also been plenty of others living in the Pacific North West and in the Mid West as well. All of these people were forced to leave their homes quickly with no set time when they would be allowed to return and with no idea what would be salvageable when they finally did get to go back in.
For the fortunate ones, the damage could have been minimal if they only had a few inches of water, but for so many evacuees, the water level was much deeper and the affects the water had on their belongings was much greater. When they were allowed back into their homes after the water had receded, they were left in disbelief when they saw the terrible mess that was left behind. Whether they had insurance coverage or not, no one really knows where to start when faced with devastation of this kind.
The main objective for flood victims in the aftermath is determining what can be saved and what can not. There will be no question that many things are simply ruined beyond repair and must be thrown out. Many times the water had been in a home for several weeks and anything the water touched was likely to have been exposed to sewage and other toxic chemicals. Furniture, draperies, carpets, and rugs are usually destroyed and would not be items worth trying to restore.
If a two or more story home was flooded only on the first floor, the possibility of saving items that were up stairs might be a little better. If the water did not reach up there, clothing, bedding, carpets, rugs, draperies, and furniture might be alright. It will depend on how much moisture from humidity formed and if it was enough to cause mold growth. Mold is also a destructive element especially to wood, fabric, sheetrock, and any other thing it can grow on. Even if the water itself does not cause some of the main structures in a home like floors and walls to have to be torn out, the mold that begins living in them might.
Plastic, glass, and sometimes metal objects can be recovered and cleaned when they have been in the nastiest of water. If it can be scrubbed and sterilized, it is possible to reuse some of these items. A home owner that has been the victim of severe flooding is usually glad to be able to salvage anything they can from their life before the flood.
Rodents, Insects, And Water In Storage Buildings
It seems that in recent years everyone and their brother have to have a storage building of some kind. In days gone by is was common for people to have barns or other out buildings to put farm supplies, seeds, or live stock in, but now we mostly use them to store all of the extra things that will not seem to fit in our homes. Sometimes these items are things that we must keep and sometimes the things we keep could be done without, it is just that we do not want to get rid of them.
Although the storage rental business is booming these days, the best place to have your storage facility is right in your back yard near your home. This way you have easy access to all the things that you want to keep or have to keep at your disposal when ever you like. It makes it so much simpler to add things or take things out. If you have a storage building at your home, you could go into it often or hardly ever at all.
Keeping your storage facility in good repair can be important to the safety of the things you keep inside it. When you store items like clothing, upholstered furniture, or paper goods in an outdoor building, it is essential that it be free of leaks and moisture. Nothing can ruin items like these faster than if they get damp or wet. Insect and rodents can be a problem also if they can get in.
Make sure that your storage building is structurally sound. This means that there should not be any open areas or holes where rodents, insects, and especially water can get in. Even small holes or cracks are enough to have your building infiltrated by rodents, spiders, other bugs, and moisture. If necessary you can put out poison for rodents and spray for insects, but the only way to keep out water is to make sure it is well sealed.
Check the roof of your storage building occasionally to be sure there is no leaking taking place when it rains or snows. If the building is constructed with wood elements anywhere, it can cause mold to form. It will not be good to breathe the air or touch moldy items in there when you go into it. Keep your storage facility as dry as possible to prevent mold in the building itself and to protect the things that you have stored inside it.
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