How to Recover From a Flood

Public Works pumps the river out of flooded downtown buildings.

Floods come in all degrees, from water in the basement after a record rain storm to the major disaster of a river at record flood stage or a hurricane flood surge. There are disasters you can't recover from--at least not without major help. The smaller ones, though, can be overcome with a little willpower and a lot of grit.

Things You'll Need

• Hand tools
• Brooms and mops
• Carts or hand trucks
• Boots, gloves and safety glasses
• Friends and family to help
• A reliable disposal service or city dumpsters

Instructions

1. Resign yourself to the fact that most of what you had in the flooded area is lost. Too often flood victims try to save appliances and other "stuff" that's just ruined and will never be right again. Family photos and memorabilia like Sam's Little League trophy are worth saving. Stacks of newspaper and soaked electronics are trash. If necessary, find alternative housing.

2. Contact your insurance agent. This is where having a personal relationship with your insurance company pays off. If you have flood insurance, your agent may be able to expedite your claim. At the least, she can advise you as to what's covered and how to proceed.

3. 

   Take stock of the damage. List appliances, electronics and furniture and take pictures "in situ," at the site of the damage. Flood insurance generally does not pay for personal property or appliances lost but a record might help if you're in a designated disaster area. Be sure to photograph the walls and floor, since flood insurance does generally cover the building itself. Don't forget items like the furnace and any plumbing that may need to be replaced immediately.

4. Make a plan of action. Prepare for disposal. Mold and bacteria are your enemy, especially in hot weather. Working in a hot, moldy basement that's been flooded with sewer water is one of the nastiest--and most dangerous--things you can do with your summer vacation. Get out your Wellies (or rubber trout fishing pants) to keep the water out and and rubber or work gloves to avoid cuts and scrapes. Keep bleach water at the ready to wipe things down and wear safety glasses to protect your eyes when demolishing walls and ripping up carpet.

5. Rip it out. All of it. You can clean and clean but the bacteria and mold have gotten into carpet padding or wood panels, you'll be fighting them for the rest of the life of your house. Non-porous metal or plastics can be scrubbed down with bleach is usually part of appliances or electronics which will be a loss because of the grit and glop that gets into their circuitry or moving parts. If you have questions about what to keep and what to save, your claims adjuster or an emergency management remediation professional can usually help you decide.

6. Wash everything that's left down with a cleaner like bleach with trisodium phosphate or trisodium phosphate substitute to kill any mold and mildew that might be lurking. Dry the area dry thoroughly, using fans and dehumidifiers.

7. 

   Make a preliminary plan to rebuild. This is more of a "do something rather than nothing" idea than really starting to build something. Even if you have to wait for an insurance settlement, you can start to plan recovery. Start with structural damage, cracks in the wall and floor and other problems with the building itself. Then decide how you want to use the space eventually and dream on, this time raising storage areas and using hardwood and metal in your design. Start getting estimates but make no commitments. Contact local, bonded contractors and handymen who are known to you or your friends. Don't wait for them to contact you. Demand references.

8. Take a break from thinking about the mess while the insurance settles out. If you've had to leave your home, arrange for someone to watch it and check in periodically to find out what's happening. Concentrate on bugging the government if you've been part of a federal or state disaster and keep all correspondence in a file or box that you can find for reference at any time.

9. After any event like a flood, check with your insurance adviser to make sure that you have the right coverage for the next one. Although flood insurance isn't available to everyone and is very specific in its coverage, it's worth looking into.

Tips & Warnings

• File any claims for insurance or disaster assistance as soon as possible. There's always a rush toward the end of a time limit for filing, so get your application in early.

• Check on elderly neighbors to be sure that they have arranged for a friend or relative to help them make decisions. Lots of us try to keep things that have sentimental meaning. An elderly widower might be grateful forever if you offer to photograph old pictures with your digital camera before he loses that floodwater-soaked wedding album to mold.

• Share tasks with neighbors and join together to rip out walls and move appliances. The work will go faster and you can share silly stories to fight back the tears.

• Mold and mildew can destroy a whole house if not killed completely. When in doubt, pitch it out.

• Ventilate thoroughly when using bleach. It evaporates quickly and its vapors are caustic.

• Be aware that a lot of scam artists prey on people after a disaster. If it sounds like too good a deal to be legitimate, trust your instinct. Don't try to haul the remains of your flood damage yourself. Hire someone who's got the equipment and training to do it safely or deposit it in a community dumpster that may be provided by the government or that you go together with neighbors to bring in.