If your home sustains damage from a disaster, such as a flood or fire, it is tempting to try to restore all your personal belongings to their original condition and quickly return to normal. However, there are certain steps that you should take to properly recover material and to stay safe during a natural disaster.

Water Damage

Water damage is a relatively common form of natural disaster. It can have a variety of sources, such as burst pipes, poor drainage, flooding, leaks, and more. The best way to recover your home and possessions from water damage is to call a water mitigation professional. But if you prefer to do things yourself, here are some things you can do instead:

• Allow your home and possessions to dry out after the initial water damage
• Use a wet or dry shop vac to vacuum standing water and only if an electrician has confirmed the electricity is safe to use
• Remove standing water from flat surfaces by blotting it with a towel
• Open your doors, windows, closets, drawers, and cabinets for air circulation
• Keep drapes off the wet floor and leave the air conditioning on
• Put wet books and documents in the freezer to prevent mold and mildew growth
• Wear appropriate clothing and safety gear while attempting to recover belongings
• Make sure the electricity is off before entering rooms with standing water
• Clear the floor of water and moisture before using any appliances.

It is best to consult a water damage restoration professional about if your house is safe to occupy and what activities are safe to perform. For example, wet objects and materials are heavy, so only carry what you can handle.

Fire Damage

Fires are one of the most dangerous natural disasters. They can quickly spread and threaten the lives of residents and emergency responders. It’s easy to picture the worst when you experience fire damage, but fires that are put out before they spread to the entire house often cause minimal damage. Multiple rooms may be passable or undamaged completely.

Have the fire department or a fire damage restoration professional inspect your home for structural damage before you enter the home. If your property is indeed safe, and you want to restore your belongings yourself, begin by inspecting them thoroughly. You should clean dishes, silverware, clothing, carpeting, and furniture thoroughly before reuse.

Wear safety gear like long sleeves, pants, gloves, a mask, and safety glasses during the inspection process. Don’t attempt to clean ceilings, walls, carpet, upholstery, and other surfaces yourself. Also, don’t turn on any appliances or electronics until a professional can inspect them.

Mold Damage

Water damage is the main source of mold growth in homes and businesses. Mold growth is a serious issue for homeowners because it can cause structural damage to the building and trigger serious health issues. The biggest indicators of mold present on your property is excessive humidity, unpleasant odors, previous water damage, and visible mold.

Mold spores can be easily disturbed and spread throughout the home. That’s why there is no safe way for a homeowner to remove mold without proper attire and training. The best way to remove mold is to identify its presence in your home and call a mold remediation professional to remove it.

Sewage and Flood Damage

Flooding is the leading cause of property damage in America, but unfortunately, many homeowners don’t have flood insurance. Water damage, contamination, and the introduction of sewage to your property make floods so damaging to homes. Throw away any item that encounters sewage. Otherwise, you could risk exposure to the parasitic, bacterial, and viral diseases that are associated with sewage.

Keep pets and kids away from the contaminated areas or the entire property until the remediation process is complete. It is important to keep damp areas dry for 48 hours after the initial water damage to prevent mold growth. Do not attempt to use your own products or sprays to clean the contaminated areas. Doing so will likely harm the property rather than help.

Your best course of action is to call a professional to remove flood and sewage, but there are certain things you can do to alleviate the damage before the remediation process begins:

• Blot and mop excess water
• Turn on your air conditioning for maximum drying
• Remove valuable objects and personal belongings to a safe place.

Contact Us

When your property sustains damage from a natural disaster, there are several things you can do to prepare for emergency restoration. First, if you feel overwhelmed, call a disaster restoration professional, even if you just want advice about properly restoring your personal belongings. Such companies will provide emergency water repair and disaster restoration services to buildings affected by water damage, fire damage, mold growth, and sewage.

About Vince Sandri

Vince Sandri is a content writer and blogger with more than 12 years of experience. His expertise is in creating content related to disaster restoration, including information about preventing and reacting to natural disasters like flooding, water damage, fire and smoke damage, mold growth, storm damage and more.
Vince has been the main contributor to RestorationMasterFinder.com since 2014. Over that time, he has written numerous service pages and blogs for disaster restoration providers featured on RestorationMasterFinder.com. Vince has done extensive research and covered a wide range of topics relating to disaster restoration to help homeowners, business owners, and property managers better protect their property. He understands the problems that disasters like flooding, fire, smoke, and mold can cause as well as the best ways to respond to these issues to limit the damage.
Vince completed his Bachelor of Arts degree at Aurora University and his master’s degree at DePaul University. He has been writing SEO website pages, blogs, and press releases since 2012. Vince is also a musician and can be seen playing in the Chicago, IL area.