It’s awful to open the door to your home, expecting comfort and calm, only to be met with a water disaster. It seems impossible and exhausting. It is important to have a water damage restoration professional on the scene as soon as possible.
Water damage is all-encompassing. Cleanup isn’t as easy as it may sound. Water seeks the paths of least resistance and inches its way under and between walls, into electrical wiring, and into nooks and crannies that you’d not think possible. Professional water damage restoration companies efficiently and effectively handle the cleanup and restoration, returning your home or business to normal with no after-effects.
Although most water damage restoration companies offer a 24-hour emergency response, there are some things you can do before they arrive.
Call a Professional Water Damage Restoration Company. The first and most important thing you can do is contact a professional water damage restoration company. The professionals will quickly assess the damage, then determine and outline a clear strategy for getting your home back to pre-loss condition as soon as possible.
Get in touch with the Power Company. Water and electricity don’t mix. In certain situations, it is too dangerous for anyone to enter the premises if it has not been evaluated and declared safe by the power company first. For example, if you come home to find a power outage on top of a flooded home, do not enter your home until you’ve contacted your power company first.
Contact Your Insurance Company. Water damage restoration is usually covered by homeowners and business insurance policies. Reach out to your insurance company to begin your claims process immediately. Water Damage Restoration Services in El Paso, TX
Explain that you have contacted water damage restoration professionals and ask if there are specifics unique to your insurance policy you should be aware of ahead of any work being done. Ask the insurance company what type of documentation they prefer for claims.
Document. Document. Document. If it is safe to do so, begin taking photos of the water damage in your home. In a situation like this, there is no such thing as too many pictures. You should make a list of all damaged items, including furniture and soft goods. Also, consider any items that are not covered by insurance, such as art or heirloom furniture.
The water damage restoration company will help with this process, too, providing you with a detailed assessment of damage and a proposal for restoration, daily project notes, photos of the restoration process, and any other documentation that may help smooth your claims process.
Take What You Can. When deciding what furniture you can and cannot remove, use common sense. Do not try to move furniture that is already damaged. The professionals can handle those pieces. However, if you see that couch cushions or wooden dining room chairs could be relocated to a dry, warm place to begin drying, go ahead and move those pieces.
In this time of crisis, you want someone with decades of experience, expertise, and professionalism. California Steam Clean is a Santa Rosa-based family-owned water damage restoration company. We treat your family as if we were our own.