What Not To Do When Your Home Floods

6/7/2022 (Permalink)

Know more what to do When Your Home Floods.

Storms often bring torrential rainfall, and with that rainfall comes flooding. When floodwater rises in Ogden, UT, you may get a lot of advice from many sources. Most of those sources will focus on the actions you should take, but it's just as important to know what things to avoid. If your home is flooded during a natural disaster or storm, here are four behaviors to avoid.

Four Behaviors to Avoid

1. Staying in Your Home

If your flooded home is uninhabitable, you should get your family to a safe location. Local authorities will keep you posted on mandatory evacuations, but if there is significant damage, don't wait until you have to leave. The earlier you leave your home, the easier it is going to be to navigate roads and find shelter.

2. Touching Contaminated Water

You don't know where water seeping into your home from a storm has been, but you can count on it being contaminated. Floodwater is considered Category 3 water and can contain microbes and bacteria. Make sure you wear protective clothing and especially avoid contact with your hands and face.

3. Overusing Your Cell Phone

Until you find a place where you can plug your cell phone in, the charge on its battery is going to have to last. Many people will succumb to boredom and use their phones to play games or surf social media. It is smarter, however, to conserve the charge and only use your phone for emergencies.

4. Trying To Clean Mold

If there is widespread water damage in your area, remediation experts may not get to your home before mold starts to grow. While you can attempt to dry out your home to minimize the risk of a problem developing, fight the temptation to clean any mold that does form. Doing so without the proper training and equipment can actually make the problem worse.

Storms may leave your home full of floodwater. By following the right steps and avoiding the wrong ones, you can increase your chances of staying safe.