Storms frequently occur from spring through late summer, often resulting in significant damage to homes and properties, including commercial storm damage witnessed by small businesses. However, by taking prompt and effective actions, you can restore your home and property. Here are six tips to help you recover from storm damage.
1. Do a Walk Around on Your Home
The first step on recovery from storm damage is to take your video camera and film the damaged house in all views. It is best to wear protective clothing and boots since you are going to enter muddy water to do the inspection. You also have to be careful of entering the water with electrical wires submerged in it as they can cause electrocution.
2. Perform an Assessment on the Damage
Next, you can do a more detailed inspection by assessing the storm damages. Most of the time, there will be cracks on the bricks, siding, windows, and doors. During a storm, siding is not just prone to cracks. They are also likely to rot from the water that is seeping in as a result of the rainwater dripping down from the gutter. You can climb up to the roof and check for damages on the shingles.
After you inspected the exterior, you can enter into the house to do an inspection. It is important to stay calm and don’t rush in to check your appliances. If you rush, you can risk slipping on the floor. While in the house, you can easily observe mold and mildew that has set in and holes in the floor. After you finish the inspection, you can board up the windows and doors. Doing so will prevent further damages on the windows and doors. It also prevents people from entering into your house to steal your stuff. The restoration company can help you to board up your house.
3. Check for Gas Leak
You will be able to smell if there is any gas leak while in the house. If there is a heavy smell of gas leaks, it means there is gas in the atmosphere. Therefore, you should avoid turning on the lights or lighting matches which can cause an explosion. You should also avoid turning on the phone as it can produce a spark that lights up the gas. The appliances should be turned on one at a time to prevent overloading of the circuit since the circuit has already been exposed to water. Wet appliances should not be used as it could cause electric shock.
4. Call the Insurance Company
You should call your insurance company and ask about your storm damage insurance claim. The representative can tell you whether the damages qualify for coverage. You can wait until the storm ends to contact the insurance company. In the meantime, you can make immediate repairs to hold up the damage temporarily. This will help you to save money on the deductible. You should include photos or video clips of your house from different angles in your claim. The receipts of the repairs you have made should be kept in a safe place. They can help you to get reimbursement for your items from the insurance company. You should also take note of the amount of time it takes to repair the house as you can be compensated for that.
5. Hire a Licensed and Bonded Contractor
The contractor you hire to repair your house should be licensed and bonded. You can ask the contractor to provide you with the telephone number of the insurance company. This will allow you to confirm that the contractor is insured and bonded. It is best to pay the contractor slowly as they completed the work instead of paying all the money upfront. You should not have to pay a deposit. If the contractor asks for a deposit, you should go to the supplier and buy the supplies for the contractor.
Mold Removal Prevention – Finding Mold Remediation
Mold removal can be one of the most daunting projects in the home. This is especially true if the mold infestation is in the bathroom because bathrooms are usually the moistest and messiest room in the house. Because of this, it’s critical that you find mold removal prevention methods that will work for your situation. Check More info on watermoldfire on how willthey help you prevent this problem from spreading.