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When the water rises How to protect your home from storm and flood damage. By Shay Kalmanovich of 911 RestorationPublished: January, 2010

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Southern California is being hit by a barrage of storms rarely seen in this region. Although most resulting damage is mitigated by early warnings and preparation, there are still a vast number of homes that suffer damage from obvious, as well as hidden dangers. What can homeowners can do when faced with the unfortunate task of restoring their homes and property after a storm or flood passes through?   The first thing to know is whether you have flood insurance and/or wind & storm insurance and if you do, you need to know the differences in order to file a claim with your insurer.  It can often be confusing and very frustrating if you don’t know who to make the claim to and who covers what.   Flood insurance covers your property when water comes from an overflow into the house – after a huge downpour, days and days of rain, or a local river rises.  Four feet of water is considered a flood.  Wind & storm insurance covers your property if your roof or windows are damaged and wind-driven rain comes in.   Regular homeowners’ policies typically don’t cover floods, but nearly all cover wind and storm. Make sure you know what your policy covers.   The first thing you should do, if possible, is take photos of everything. Take an inventory of everything in the house. Make a list of all your clothes, i.e., how many pants, shirts, etc. Ideally, it’s great to have this before disaster strikes. Keep an inventory with photos in a safe deposit box outside of the home, along with all your important papers. Try to do this at least every spring, before hurricane season begins.  If you need to do this after being forced from your home, make sure to keep receipts for all expenses so you can be reimbursed by the insurance company.   If you need to leave your home because of storm damage, be sure you switch off all the electricity, and make sure the house is locked, to prevent unwanted intruders.  Unfortunately, one of the other negative side effects after a natural disaster besides thievery, are unscrupulous contractors. When you’re ready to start the process of rebuilding and restoring the property, you need to take special precautions when choosing a company to do the work. Most of the time after disasters, outside companies come in to help, but they’re not all bad. Check the contractor that you use, particularly if they aren’t local. Try to find a local company who cares about your community.  Make sure they are certified, licensed and bonded and check with an outside agency like the Better Business Bureau to ensure they are legitimate.   When you speak with your insurance company and/or contractor, you may hear them discuss the category of water damage. There are three:  1. Clean Water – This is usually damage from water that initiated within the home, i.e., a bathtub, sink or appliance that has overflowed, or a pipe that has burst. 2. Grey Water – this is water that has been mixed with laundry, dish water, or other mild chemicals which can make you sick. 3. Black water – The worst type of damage, it’s water which has been contaminated by chemicals, sewage and any other potentially harmful items. All floods where water has come into the house from outside are considered category 3.   After a flood or water damage, remove from the property all small items, photos and anything else you want to keep, because when the restoration process begins, they must open the walls and demolish anything that has become soaked. Be sure to get these items dried quickly because they can develop potentially harmful mold. Also, if you’ve had water come in from the roof, don’t focus on the one area where the hole is – the water seeps into many different areas. Make sure your restoration contractor checks the entire house, even if you can’t see damage. The problem is behind the walls you will usually find moisture and there will be mold later on.   If by chance you are reading this and you have not yet suffered damage from a hurricane or flood, consider yourself lucky.  If you have a genuine concern about your property because of warnings in your area, here are a few tips you can use to better prepare yourself now:     1.    Get supplies of water and food, a generator for electricity, flashlights and an emergency preparedness kit     2.    Fill up your car’s gas tank.  Chances are gas stations will be closed until damage assessments can be made.     3.    Board up your property – seal windows and doors, and get plywood to cover them; you may also consider piling sandbags in your yard to block water from coming in.     4.    Pack everything of sentimental value in your car ahead of time     5.    Listen for evacuation orders on your TV or radio and listen to local authorities; when they say “it’s time to go,” don’t wait too long     6.    If you do leave home, go to a shelter or get out of town Shay Kalmanovich is CEO, 911 Restoration is one of the leading certified mold, water and smoke damage restoration companies, with over 30 years of experience, specializing in both commercial and residential properties.

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