What to Do When your Basement Floods in Akron, Ohio

7/20/2021 (Permalink)

If you experience a flooded basement in Akron, Ohio, please call the experts at SERVPRO of West Akron to cleanup and restore your home.

What to do when your basement floods

Few things cause more destruction than water in a home, and your entire structure, along with many of your personal belongings, can be affected. The good news is that emergency restoration services are available to help you with the cleaning and drying process. If you begin the cleanup to your home in Akron, Ohio yourself that has suffered water damage from flooding, there are steps that you can take to clean up and prevent future damage.

Here are a few tips to cleanup and restore a flooded basement: 

• Call an electrician: If you still have power, under no circumstances should you ever walk-through water in your home’s basement until the electricity and gas are safely shut off. In most cases, the circuit breaker and gas line are both located in the basement; if they are, call an electrician to have them shut off. If the circuit breaker or gas line are elsewhere, shut off power to your home before entering the flooded basement.
• Remove as much water as you can from a flooded basement: Flooding in a basement usually occurs after a severe storm and many homeowners may experience water damage. If you can remove the water yourself if it’s only a few inches with a wet vac it could save your belongings. If you had a sump pump malfunction or clogged drain, call a plumber to fix the issue to stop further damage then call a water mitigation company to help dry-out your structure.
• Clear out everything and assess damage to belongings: If you can move any salvageable items from a flooded basement to a dry, clean spot in your house such as an upstairs room or garage. Throw away anything that’s ruined beyond repair, including flooring taking pictures to be reimbursed by your insurance company or call a professional restoration company to do it for you. Most restoration companies work hand in hand with insurance companies making it a smooth and easy process for the homeowners.
• Contact your insurance agent: Your insurance agent can inform you about your coverage and can help you with submitting the claim to determine whether coverage applies.
• Thoroughly cleanup and dry out the flooded basement: Place Specialized air movers and dehumidifiers to remove the remaining water that is harder to access. Clean all of the restorable items and structure that is damaged by the water. Final step is to sanitize the area to prevent mold growth and to remove odors and deodorize your property.
• Re-store items in the basement: Rebuild any areas that was damaged by the water from drywall to flooring. Consider using shelves to elevate belongings off the floor and closed, plastic containers to keep items sealed and more protected before the next water damage.

SERVPRO of West Akron is your one-stop shop from mitigation to restoration from a water, fire, or storm disaster. After our crews have performed the cleanup services, we can smoothly transition into the reconstruction services to help restore your home or business back to preloss condition, so it looks “Like it never even happened.” Call us 24/7 at 330-867-5723.