Things to Watch Out for If Your Post-Hurricane Sanibel Home has Flooded

The recent hurricane brought flooding into several Sanibel Island homes. After a home floods, there are several different important areas of the home that have been impacted some that are obvious and many that you may not be aware of especially if your home has never seen this type of damage. Whether your home flooded in a small portion, or the entire lower level went underwater, there can be some surprising far-reaching consequences of flood water.

There are of course the well-known to the naked eye effects of having gray water and soggy walls. But there can be many other symptoms of flooding in your home that are not known until later and can cause significant headaches or even having to rip out and redo repair efforts because of unseen damage that was not caught right after the flooding happened.

It is a good idea to have as much knowledge about flooding and all of its possible effects on your property whether they happen to your home or not it is good to be aware that they are possible. It is better to be overly cautious than to be unaware and pay for the unfortunate consequences later.

Here are some areas where flooding can impact your home that many people are unaware of

Belongings un-attached to the structure

One of the biggest things that many people are aware of happens after flooding is the growth of mold and mildew because they love a nice wet environment. What some people are unaware of is that mold and mildew can grow in anything made of organic material and this can include items like furniture, clothing, decorative items, and pretty much anything else that was still in the home at the time of the flooding made of these materials.

Walls

Walls absorb the water especially the sheetrock and the studs do so as well. You can easily see that the walls have taken on the water when it subsides there will be an unsightly waterline on the wall. What some people do not realize is that this damage can be very deep into crevices and unseen areas of your home structure and even into exterior walls and siding.

The sub-flooring

Of course, the floor is the first thing to come in contact with water in a flooding situation this is what constitutes a flood. What some people are unaware of is that after pulling up the finished flooring such as the carpet, the padding, or vinyl planks and hardwood the subfloor will need some attention as well. The subfloor will need to be dried and cleaned and once it is both dry and clean it will need to be completely disinfected to ensure that no harmful irritant can grow.

The HVAC system

Water can get into your air ducts and create hiding places for mold. Mold is probably the most dangerous inside of your heating and cooling system. When spores grow in this system and it is turned back on without knowing that it is there it will spread spores throughout every single area of the home and can make everyone ill.

Checking materials used to repair and restore

Even after you have pulled everything that came in contact with water out of the home and purchased brand new materials to replace and rebuild these items you can still have mold and mildew growth if the mold and mildew were not completely cleaned and disinfected when things were removed from the home. Even if you have made the best efforts to clean and disinfect before making repairs it is always good to periodically check these items for mold and mildew growth after they are installed.

If you have never experienced a flood or have little experience with repairs after flooding it is always in your best interest to call a professional to ensure that everything is done well and correctly so that things do not have to be repaired a second time.

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