After – Flooding Advice From the Office of Warren Mayor Jim Fouts * Do not walk through moving water. Six inches is enough water to knock you down. * Do not drive in flooded areas. Six inches of water can cause you to lose control and two feet of water can sweep away your vehicle. Remember: Turn around, don’t drown. * Listen to local media reports for information about if the water supply is safe to drink. * Avoid contacting flood waters because they can be contaminated by hazardous liquids and may contain sharp debris. * Report and stay 25 feet away from downed power lines. * Be aware of areas that were previously flooded. The roads may be weakened or washed out. * Clean and disinfect anything that was wet from the flood. Throw away any food that was touched by flood waters. * Flood damage is excluded in nearly all homeowners’ and renters’ insurance policies, but it can be purchased as a separate policy. * Many people want to know how to get rid of mold. You can clean a small amount of mold yourself. Use a mixture of one cup of bleach to one gallon of water. Remember, never mix bleach, or products containing bleach – with ammonia, or products containing ammonia. Read the label on any product to see what it contains. If you see mold that covers an area of more than 10 square feet, consider getting a professional to remove it. * Please place any discarded furniture from flooded basements at the curb regardless of trash pickup day. * Keep children away from playing in flooded streets, culverts and storm drains. * The most important thing when cleaning up a basement flood is getting rid of the water. * Wear gloves, wear waterproof boots, wear a mask or goggles when cleaning up after a flood. You don’t know what’s in the water. Water can be full of E coli, salmonella or hepatitis. * Disconnect the main electricity to the basement. * Determine the cause of the flood and correct the problem, if possible. If it’s a broken pipe, turn off the water. If it’s a backup from a blocked drain, do your best to unblock the drain. Remove any visible blockages to get water flowing. * Remove any damaged drywall or carpeting. Drywall and carpeting act like a sponge when it’s wet. Plaster walls can be saved, but you need to get air behind the wall to the dry studs.
Posted on: Wed, 13 Aug 2014 21:28:02 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015