St. Louis: Important Things to Do if a Building Floods

If a building floods in the St. Louis area, the most important things to do are:

Ensure Electricity is Off to Flooded Areas. Before attempting to enter flooded waters, make sure the electricity is off to the area that flooded. This may require having the electrical company turn off all power to the house if the electrical box access is in the basement or somewhere that the flood waters are. While many modern electrical wirings have trips such as GFCI’s to turn off the power to a localized area in the event of water, older houses do not have this and its best to be cautious regardless.

Do not venture into flood waters unless you are positive there is no electricity running through the water.

Limit Further Contamination. If flood waters have not yet reached areas where chemicals, paint, or other potential hazardous materials or substances are, try to remove these items before the flood waters reach them. Flood waters may spread these hazardous materials around the flooded area and make a situation even worse.

Account for All Humans and Pets. Make sure adults, children, and pets of the building are not stuck somewhere amongst the flood waters and be sure to evacuate them all before leaving the house. Call the fire department if help is needed, they train for these sorts of emergencies.

Ventilate the Area as Well As Possible. Ventilation allows for the water to start to evaporate and to reduce the smell and hazardous materials from spreading to elsewhere in the building. This can be accomplished by open windows.

Call A Water Restoration Specialist. Be sure to call a water restoration specialist, such as Disaster Emergency Services, as soon as possible. The longer the water sits, the worst the potential damage, cost, and potential for mold is.

Do Not:

Touch or enter the flood waters till you know the electricity is turned off to the area.
Spend time in the flood waters or allow children or pets to play in them. There may be sewer water that includes human waste, chemicals, or other substances.
Attempt to stay in a flooded house if the situation is getting increasingly worse.
Attempt to remove the water while the flooding is ongoing.

Disaster Emergency Services, LLC

Disaster Emergency Services, LLC works with homeowners, with or without insurance, and other property owners and operators of retail, commercial, or industrial buildings to assist them in their property restoration needs.

Email: [email protected]
Call: 314-498-9690