Local insurers often visit flood-damaged premises and offer guidance after floodwaters start to retreat. Until then, use extreme caution when visiting your business. Before entering your flood-damaged building:
• Notify your insurer. Take pictures of contents and damage for your insurer—the more the better—but only if it is safe to do so.
• Turn off your building’s gas and electricity, and any fuel taps. Never touch sources of electricity when standing in floodwater.
• Check for structural damage before entering the building. Do not enter if there is any chance it may collapse.
• Assume that all water-damaged structures are unstable until proven otherwise.
• Treat all stairs, floors, roofs and overhangs as unsafe until they are inspected.
Your insurer will send a loss adjuster and other specialists to assess your business’ damage. After ensuring that your property is stable, it is time to get dirty. When beginning cleanup efforts, follow this guidance:
• Ensure you and your employees follow every health and safety precaution, such as wearing boots, rubber gloves and other personal protective clothing.
• Use caution when handling debris—it may be contaminated or harbor unseen sharp objects.
• Dispose of equipment only after notifying your insurer.
• Disinfect your property with ordinary household cleaners, but follow the manufacturer’s directions to ensure you are disinfecting properly. Let cleaned surfaces dry completely.
• Open a window and leave the building if you smell gas or hear blowing or hissing—these may be signs of a gas leak.
• Operate electrical equipment only if the ground is dry — never operate electrical equipment that is in or near water.
• Clean any water taps that were submerged in contaminated floodwater with a bleach solution. Let the water run for 30 seconds prior to using it.
• Drain water in stages to avoid disparity between the water pressure inside and outside your building.
• Shovel mud out in stages so the pressure inside and outside remains equal. Remove the rest with a hose, but make sure it is not a high-pressure one—these hoses can blast contaminants into the air.
• Use a pump and generator to remove water. Position the generator outside in the open air if it produces carbon monoxide. Only pump out water once the flood levels outside your property are lower than inside.
• Keep windows and doors open, weather permitting, to expedite drying, but never sacrifice building security.
• Dry your building using a combination of fans, industrial heaters and dehumidifiers. Your insurer may provide these tools.
• Leave central heating on at 68° F or above to encourage drying if it is safe.
But floods can also be regenerative. Large-scale damage to your business is an opportunity to rebuild and minimize potential damage and disruption that could be caused by future floods. If your business has sustained flood damage, do not panic. Think of it as a chance to fortify your business against future flood damage rather than nothing but a ruinous misfortune.
