Indy Clean Team Blog | Cleaning Tips and Articles
Flooded Basement Season - At Home In Indiana
Storms. Rain. Wind. Rain. Hail. It's how Hoosiers know summer has started. Indiana's rainy season is also flooded basement season.
Our current batch of bad weather is par for the course in Indiana. Flooding is common, even for those who don't live near a river or stream. Many Indiana backyard become ponds this time of year, as do the intersections in downtown Indy (I think they're planning to improve our system someday.) Kids love it, since it turns their yards in to makeshift water parks, but us grown-ups would be happy without the mini-monsoons.
One of the most common issues we see in our line of work is basement flooding. Emergency water removal services like ours stay quite busy during this time of year. Flooding is often the cause for that. Occasionally, the problem comes from a busted pipe but more often than not the culprit is a sump pump gone bad.
Sump pumps are a Hoosier's best friend, at least for those who have a basement. It's a silent help that is easily forgotten until you need it. Unfortunately, most people don't think about theirs until it breaks down, and it seems to always break down when you need it most.
If you've been lucky enough to have a dry basement so far this year, don't push your luck. Double check the pump to make sure it's in good shape. You might even want to consider a second emergency pump and a backup battery system for when the power goes out. Of course, if your sump pump is pumping, it may mean you won't need our flood clean-up services, but chances are your neighbor isn't as smart as you. He'll need our help. Tell him to give us a call.
(Image Credit: http://community.livejournal.com/fix_it_fail/2449.html )
Nashville Flood Photos
When the Indy Clean Team entered Nashville to assist in the clean up after the devastating floods, this is some of what we saw.
Water had overtaken the city and everything in it. These pictures were taken a few short days after the rain had ceased and the water had not yet started to recede. Traffic still lined up in a standstill on the I 24 bridge to stare in awe and amazement at what nature had done, enabling us to snap these pictures.
Nashville Flood Video
Happy music but a sad video about the Nashville flood. This was created by Misti Abner. Thanks, Misti, for sharing. Good luck with the recovery!
5 Helpful Flood Restoration Resources
As mentioned previously, most people just don't know where to start when it comes to cleaning up after a flood or some other type of water damage incident. Quick action with first steps can make a huge difference in mitigating the long term damage. Thankfully, there is so much helpful information now available via the internet.
Chris Crimmins, is a general contractor who does restoration and home remodeling in Nashville. He was very active helping people during and after the flood (he'll probably be busy for awhile). His blog post "My House Flooded Now What" is a good to-do list for people. Check it out.
Scrapbooking fans are probably familiar with the Creative Memories company. They, along with the Image Permanence Institute, created the "Consumer Guide for Recovery of Water-Damaged Traditional and Digital Prints." That can be especially helpful since photos can be priceless.
Another good storm damage resource is from the IIRC, the agency that certifies cleaners (yes, we're certified). They have recommendations for property owners dealing with water damage from storms, specifically home and light commercial.
National Center for Healthy Housing created a guide for those cleaning up after flood damage. It was originally created to help with those recovering from Katrina and was put out again after the 2008 floods in the Midwest. (Link to the PDF.)
And one more. The University of Tennessee website has a page of flood recovery tips that lists a few more resources, some specific to agricultural situations.
Please share any helpful resources you have come across.
Flood Clean Up In Nashville
Recently I (Bridget) returned from Tennessee. I was down in Nashville with our flood restoration team, helping with the clean up. Flooding there ravaged homes. This was caused by the most rainfall in a single storm in the history of the state. It was devastating and so sad. At least 28 people died and the estimated cost of the damages is more than $1 billion. It may already be one of the most expensive natural disasters in U.S. history not caused by a hurricane.
By now everyone has seen plenty of news coverage but in the beginning many people were shocked that the news didn't seem to be covering the story as much as the Times Square bomb scare or the oil spill in the Gulf. You can read one opinion on the lack of media attention on the Newsweek magazine blog.
Flood damage ranges from mild to severe. You probably saw the pictures. We hope to get some photos we took up on the blog in the next few days. There are a bunch on this Flickr page. For some people it only created some minor hassles but a lot of people have much bigger problems to deal with. A few have lost everything. So many homeowners were left with their hands in the air not knowing where to start. And, unfortunately, it seems most people did not have flood insurance. Hopefully, our experience dealing with FEMA will help.
In a crisis, it is understandable that people aren't quite sure what to do. In this situation our water extraction & restoration specialists have the knowledge and experience to take the reins and get the recovery process started. This gives homeowners and business owners some peace of mind. Knowing things are getting done right allows them to focus on other problems.
Not everyone is familiar with the process. Why would they, if they hadn't been through a flood or similar experience? Drying things out is the first priority. This may allow some items to be recovered and will help prevent a potential mold problem. First step in the drying process is extracting the water. Sump pumps are used to remove standing water. Then dehumidifiers, air cleaners, and fans are used to dry the affected area. Much more will need to be done before things are back to normal for the property owner but getting things dry as quickly as possible is the most important.
We at Indy Clean Team are doing our very best to try and return homeowners lives to normal as quickly and painlessly as possible.