When it comes to damages, flooding is a very costly event for homes and businesses alike. Floods can cause around $40 billion in damages throughout the world every year. They can rapidly turn from mildly damaging to exponentially disastrous if proper steps aren’t taken to manage the situation. 

In order to avoid any further damages, you need to take certain precautionary steps in the first few hours of the flood. Let's take a look at some measures you can take in the first 24 hours after a flood.

Turn Off Electricity

The first thing you should do after your home is flooded with water is to turn off the electricity from the main fuse box.  If it's dark outside then you should first try to find a torch however this should be done as quickly as possible. 

Water is a conductor and so turning off your power fast is a must for the safety of everyone in the house, it is crucial to turn off the electricity from the main fuse. If you aren’t sure where this is call an electrician fast! That way they can get to your home and shut things down safely anf quickly.

Find The Source

Once you have shut down the electricity it’s time for you to find the source of the flood. Once you identify the source you can try to block the water from coming out. This may temporarily hold the flood until the plumber arrives.

Be sure to call your plumber quickly if any flooding does occur as they can get to work on repairing the pipes so that you can minimise water damage. After all, once the flooding is over and dried out you’ll need to repair this water damage quickly.

Collect Your Things And Evacuate

Once you have blocked the source of flood water, you can now collect all the important things from around your house including mobile phones, laptops, important documents, and other similar items.  

Staying in the house when there is a risk of an internal flood can be dangerous, so put all your things in a box and evacuate the house. Call the best plumber you know and wait for him. Once the plumber arrives, take him to the source so the problem can be fixed.

Video Everything

It is very important for you to record all the damage done to your house because of the flood. A video can act as proof for your settlement with the insurance company. That way when you go to claim afterwards, it will be easier to settle the damages and get funding to repair things quickly.

Call The Plumber

Floods can be caused by both external and internal factors. Internal factors like damaged sewerage and faulty water systems play a huge role in causing internal floods. The floods caused by internal factors might not seem that dangerous, but they can be equally deadly as floods caused by external factors.  

The best course of action in such a scenario would be to first identify the source of the water. Once you know the source you can contain the flood to a certain area.  You can try to stop the leakage with strong duct tape or a piece of cloth however it is crucial to call the most experienced plumber in your area.  

Don’t delay calling the plumber as that might make things worse. You should place important phone numbers of plumbers and other services on the fridge or any other wall so that the numbers are easily accessible to all the family members.

Conclusion

Floods can happen anytime so it is important for people to be ready and prepared. Have things like duct tape, tool kit and the phone number for plumbers near you so that you can easily access them in the time of a flood. Once the flood is restricted or stopped you should hire a professional cleaner to clean your house otherwise your house might develop moldings which are a health hazard.