Repairing Your Flooded Home
Your home and its contents may look beyond hope, but
many of your belongings can be restored. If you do things
right, your flooded home can be cleaned up, dried out,
rebuilt, and reoccupied sooner than you think.
Play it safe. The dangers are not over when
the water goes down. Your home's foundation may have
been weakened, the electrical system may have shorted
out, and floodwaters may have left behind things that
could make you sick. When in doubt, throw it out. Don't
risk injury or infection.
Ask for help. Many people can do a lot of the
clean up and repairs discussed in this book. But if
you have technical questions or do not feel comfortable
doing something, get professional help. If there is
a federal disaster declaration, a telephone "hotline"
will often be publicized to provide information about
public, private, and voluntary agency programs to help
you recover from the flood.
Floodproof. It is very likely that your home
will be flooded again someday. You can save a lot of
money by floodproofing as you repair and rebuild. See
Step 8. You should also prepare for the next flood by
buying flood insurance and writing a flood response
plan.
Table of Contents
Step 1. Take Care of Yourself First
Protect yourself and your family from stress, fatigue,
and health hazards that follow a flood.
Step 2. Give Your Home First Aid
Once it is safe to go back in, protect your home and
contents from further damage.
Step 3. Get Organized
Some things are not worth repairing and some things
may be too complicated or expensive for you to do by
yourself. A recovery plan can take these things into
account and help you make the most of your time and
money.
Step 4. Dry Out Your Home
Floodwaters damage materials, leave mud, silt and unknown
contaminants, and promote the growth of mildew. You
need to dry your home to reduce these hazards and the
damage they cause.
Step 5. Restore the Utilities
The rest of your work will be much easier if you have
heat, electricity, clean water, and sewage disposal.
Step 6. Clean Up
The walls, floors, closets, shelves, contents and any
other flooded parts of your home should be thoroughly
washed and disinfected.
Step 7. Check on Financial Assistance
Voluntary agencies, businesses, insurance, and government
disaster programs can help you through recovery.
Step 8. Rebuild and Floodproof
Take your time to rebuild correctly and make improvements
that will protect your building from damage by the next
flood.
Step 9. Prepare for the Next Flood
Protect yourself from the next flood with flood insurance,
a flood response plan, and community flood protection
programs. This step also includes sources to go to for
additional assistance.
This information is published by the
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the American
Red Cross to help flooded property owners. It is designed
to be easily copied. Permission to reproduce all or
any section of this material is hereby granted and encouraged.
Hard copies of this information in book
form are available from your local Red Cross chapter
or by writing:
FEMA
P. O. Box 2012
Jessup, MD 20794-2012
Production This book was prepared
for the Federal Emergency Management Agency under Contract
Number EMW-89-C-3024 and EMW-91-K-3738.
FEMA and the American Red Cross gratefully
acknowledge the thoughtful assistance provided by the
many individuals who reviewed this book. Reviewers included
repair and reconstruction contractors, mental health
professionals, sociologists, researchers, disaster assistance
specialists, insurance experts, underwriters, structural
engineers, public health agents, floodplain managers,
emergency managers, education specialists, editorial
experts, and graphic designers.
Disclaimer The statements and
descriptions in this book are those of the authors and
do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States
Government, the Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA), or The American Red Cross. The U.S. Government,
FEMA, and the American Red Cross make no warranty, expressed
or implied, and assume no responsibility for the accuracy
or completeness of the information herein.
The information provided is based on
careful research and input from experienced professionals.
The reader must assume responsibility for adapting this
information to local conditions. This book is not intended
to replace the advice and guidance of an experienced
professional who is able to view a home and assess the
needs of the particular situation. In several instances,
the reader is advised to contact a professional if he
or she is not experienced with technical matters such
as building construction and electrical components.
In some cases, brand names are used as
examples. Their usage does not imply an endorsement
or recommendation for any particular commercial product.
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