You never know when moderately heavy rainfall will cause flash flooding in your neighborhood or city. These days, flooding seems to be more commonplace as cities and neighborhoods get congested and drainage systems can’t keep up with all the waste and accumulating garbage. So, what do you do when your house gets flooded? How do you approach waterproofing your flooded basement?

Step one—drain the water

Before you do anything, take a few photos surveying the area so you have proof for your insurance company. Ideally, insurance will cover the damage to your home so you will have to worry significantly less about the cost of the prospective repairs.

Next, you need to get rid of all the water inside your basement. You will need to wait until the flood outside the house subsides, because there’s no point otherwise and the water will just come back into the basement. In addition, if there’s still a high level of water outside, the water could push on your basement walls and cause more problems.

If you have no easy way to drain the water from the basement, you can always look for a sump pump to help easily get rid of the flood. Make sure you don’t pump faster than the rate at which the flood outside your home subsides.

Drying out the basement at the first opportunity will help decrease the opportunity for mold and mildew to develop in the flooded area.

Clean the space

There will be residue and deposits from the floodwater, so you should clean that up. Scrape everything off the walls and floor or wash it all away with a heavy-duty hose. Cleaning out your basement will allow it to dry faster and more properly. For more persistent residue, you may need to scrub more thoroughly.

Once everything is all neat, take time to disinfect the space, especially in nooks and crannies. Flood water could have brought bacteria and other harmful microorganisms into your basement, so it’s important to ensure that everything is sanitized.

Take some waterproofing measures to prevent future flooding

Your work will be for naught if you don’t get proper waterproofing for your basement. If you haven’t invested in a sump pump yet, try to determine whether or not you should. Also consider if your home can accommodate a sump pump system. You can also check out alternative methods for basement drainage and find the best fit for your needs.

Consult professional waterproofing services to ensure total flood prevention in your basement in case of future flash floods. Don’t just get quotations and advice from one contractor; try to have a selection and see which one gives you the best possible treatment to go with the appropriate flood-prevention solutions. Sometimes, contractors will upsell for extravagant fees, so you need to stay critical. It’s better if you have other contractors’ estimates for comparison.

Taking  immediate action and putting precautions in place is the proper response to a flooded basement. You can’t predict when the next flood will occur, so it’s best to be prepared for the worst-case scenario.
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