It is an absolute gut punch to come into your home and find a couple of feet of standing water. You wonder what will happen to your house, where your family will sleep while the work is being done, and how you will save your home. The decisions that you will make in the next 24 hours will be vital.
Toxic Mold Spreads Fast
Mold can start growing in as little as 24 hours. Getting heavy-duty dehumidifiers and some powerful fans going will dry out the air and stop the mold in its tracks so that it does not become a much larger infestation and make you and your family ill. But doing nothing will allow the mold to go unchecked and make the restoration job much bigger, which will cost considerably more money.
Drywall Gets Soaked and Damage Continues to Get More Serious
The drywall is history once it is wet and needs to come down. Allowing it to just dry on its own is not sufficient. Even if you allow your walls to dry out, the drywall will no longer be as durable as it once was in its original form, and it can crumble even if you bump a vacuum into it. Waiting too long to get restoration specialists on the scene will allow the moisture to ruin the wooden studs. Then, you’ll be in for a really serious nightmare because your house will need to be gutted completely.
Saving Sentimental Valuables
It is easy to purchase new drywall. But there is nothing that you can do to replace belongings that are of sentimental value. Wooden furniture and paper items have a chance of surviving if you act quickly to rescue them and dry them out. There will be no chance at all of survival if you let them sit for days.
Make the Insurance Process Much Smoother
Taking quick action will undoubtedly help the claim’s process go much smoother than if you wait. Some insurance policies have rules stating that you have a legal duty to prevent your property from being damaged further once a loss occurs. Take pictures of the standing water on the first day and call a restoration company immediately. This shows the insurance adjuster that you have done everything possible to protect your home, which will improve the chances of you receiving the payout that you need to recover.
It is OK to feel defeated when you are confronted with such a huge mess. But you are not alone. Reaching out to a restoration crew and your loved ones gives you the extra hands you need to tackle the mess before the clock runs out. When you need flood damage cleanup services in Hickory, NC, contact United Water Restoration Group of Hickory.