The Disaster Shop

The excess rain and snow in the country has given me the idea to write about what water can do to a home. You see flooded homes in the news and you hope it is never you – but what if it is? Are you prepared to take care of it before and after? In the following sections, I will take you through steps to protect your home where possible and steps to do following significant water intusion.

Protection of Your Home

• 1) Make sure that the soil around your house slopes away from the foundation and that it isn’t so high that it doesn’t show some foundation. The foundation is a protection but above it is siding/wood and it can be penetrated.
• 2) Sometimes your foundation can be penetrated due to cracks or the seal between the footings and the foundation wall is compromised. If possible, make sure water prone areas are sealed.
• 3) Many homeowners who face a lot of water near the foundation will install “French Drains” to move small amounts of excess water away from the foundation. If there is a lot of water possible near the foundation then you can have a drainage system installed with a pump to move the water away. These do cost money but first, before you spend money, ensure that there is a sloping landscape away from your home.
• 4) Ensure that you have proper gutters to catch rain water from the roof. If your gutter spout puts water next to the foundation, then get an extension and put it on your drain spout. It should be 8′ or more in length to ensure that water is moving away from the home.
• 5) Sand Bags are a fairly good protection when the time comes that water is threatening your home from a stream, river or creek etc. Yes, counties and cities will start efforts to get sandbags, sand and personnel but you might be one of several thousand who need it. If you are near a stream or river that can flood then you should invest in some sandbags now and store them. Find a place on your property and put a pile of sand there for the kids and then use it later. Sand forms well in sandbags so that the gaps are “filled in” between bags. You do not fill the bags full – 60-70% is enough. Fold the top over and under the bag as you place it on the ground. Each time you do that it seals the opening – you will save time and will love this when you take the bags down – they can be used over and over. If you go over more than about 3 rows or so high around your house then you should look at making a double row which will help support itself from possible falling forward or backwards of the bags. Ofcourse, this requires more bags and more sand. Some people like to put plastic sheeting down and up the side of the home entrances so water penetration points have added/extra protection from any water instrusion. Place the plastic so that the sand bag sits right near the front edge and the plastic goes up the house several feet. Ensure that the sandbag holds the plastic in place and up tight to the house siding/door/glass. This seals the area. If you don’t use this plastic sheeting method, you can move the sandbags out and a distance away from the house. I have seen several walls between the river/stream/creek and the house in an effort to move water away in some fashion before it gets near the home. Again, this needs a lot of bags, sand and people to do it but it can be fairly successful. Many homes around the U.S. have been saved by sandbags when one knows the water will be rising and cresting above flood stage.
• 6) Berms — sometimes just plain dirt or sand can be an effective protection device. It might make a mess of your lawn but it is very fast and effective. All you need is a backhoe and some soil. You can make it wide and high enough to help protect your home. Contractors will drop everything to provide you, who is willing to pay, with this service and they can do it in a few hours. The problem is, that you have to pay to get it back off and to redo your landscape. But, in a pinch you can save your home and belongings. This is important especially near fast moving water. It is exactly what the Corp of Engineers will do or the County/City where they need to “shore up” the river banks/levees etc.

Recovery After the Waters get into Your Home

• 1) Get the water out of the home ASAP. The longer it stays in the home the more damage it does (discussed later). Often you don’t have much of a choice as Mother Nature does what she wants concerning duration. But if you can, get it out quickly.
• 2) Dry Out Your Home — it is critical that absorbed water is also removed from the home. Dirty muddy water is really bad. It only gets worse as time goes by. So open up the windows and get fans – lots of fans – powerful fans that move lots of air through the home.
• 3) If the water has been in the home for 12-24 hours or more you should consider pulling the carpet up as well as the pad. They will not dry out because your subfloor is wet and your walls will be wet (discussed in a minute). If you have any concerns about doing this and what your insurance will do, call them and tell them what you are doing. Rarely will they argue with this concept. If you can’t get ahold of them take photos first and then do it. Put it out on the front lawn for easy removal for you or someone else. Concentrate now on drying out the subfloor that is exposed for that purpose.
• 4) Walls — behind the sheetrock is insulation. Insulation has a “wicking” capability. That is, it will pick up moisture and run it up higher than your realize and it is really hard to dry out since the air you are moving can’t get to it. Generally what is done, is, the bottom of the sheetrock is removed by running a sheetrock knife down the seam – usually at the 4′ level. Sheetrock is cheap in comparison to labor that it takes to saw your way along at 2 or 3′ where there is no seam. When sheetrockers come in to replace the sheetrock they will take off the rock to the seam for the same reason it is there to start with – to tape it and to feather out the taping compound out so you can’t see seams. Pull the insulation out up to the same 4′ level and put it out on the front lawn near your carpet for easy removal. Now you have air getting to your 2×4′s and anything else that got wet. Don’t worry about 2×4′s, they can and will dry out just like wood is supposed to do.
• 5) Mold, Mildew, Fungus and Spores. Well, this is the very serious part of this article. All of the areas touched by water, especially dirty water, can and will grow mold and more. As described above you must remove all moisture ASAP in order to keep the mold from growing (taking away moisture removes the food it needs to grow). Regardless, you have to take proactive measures even if only small amounts of water (a few inches) makes it into the house. Heat is also something mold/mildew needs to grow. Do not try to live in your house if you have had significant water instrusion until you have the interior tested for mold, mildew and spores that come off of those areas via the air (airbourne spores). Spores get into your lungs and they cause very serious problems and even death. A professional company should be called in to regularly spray the affected areas of the home. If you cannot afford to do that, you can mix a mild mixture of Bleach/Water to spray on the affected areas yourself. Bleach will kill the mold if applied many times. The mold will pull the water in and the bleach will kill it. A mixture of 1 part bleach to 20 parts water will work. The key is do it a couple of times a day or more if it is hot and humid in your area. Doing it once won’t cut it. Sure, straight bleach will kill it but you won’t be able to live there for a long time either.
• 6) Mud and Slime – this is the worst of the worst. Mud has nasty stuff in it. If you remove it yourself, make completely sure that you have a proper MASK, GLOVES, PANTS, EYE PROTECTION and RUBBER BOOTS. You cannot let it touch your lungs, your eyes or your skin as you have no idea what is in it. People go in and search for their valuables and don’t even think about protection. I saw this in so many different disasters that water/mud has been involved including Katrina. Yes, many people got sick from that part alone. Respiratory problems may not show up for some time after you do something stupid. Have an area outside and away from your home to wash you down after being in contact with the mud or slime. Then, take a thorough shower aftewards. If you will do this you can feel safe from the unseen little things that want to hurt or kill you. Don’t forget, mold and mildew will grow after you remove mud since mud has moisture in it too

Conclusion

In short, if you want to take control of your situation you can do so without waiting for someone to do it for you. But, you must be careful and you must be protected. Generally, if you were to bring in professionals to do what you are thinking about doing they would have the best masks, eye protection, rubberized clothing and boots. So, why would you think you are different and don’t need it? It is mind boggling to see the many who think only of valuables or getting stuff out of their house when in reality, if they took precations they would not suffer from the second and potentially more serious disaster = illness that is short term or long term. This you have control over! So please, please be careful and think before you move. Use wisdom in your choices. You can slip and fall, get something through your foot and a bunch of other physical problems that come from not being careful enough.

Be careful and make good choices in this area!