Be Flood Smart

4/17/2020 (Permalink)

Floods are one of the most common and widespread natural disasters in the United States. Whether your home or business is near a coastline, along city streets, in the mountains, or near a river there is always the potential for flood damage. Floodsmart.gov reports, in the last five years, all 50 states have experienced floods or flash floods.

Just 1 inch of water can cause $25,000 of damage to your home.

According to the American Red Cross (ARC), floods cause more damage in the U.S. every year that any other weather-related disaster. The ARC offers the following flood safety tips:

• Stay away from floodwaters. If you come up on a flowing stream where water is above your ankles, stop, turn around and go another way. Six inches of swiftly moving water can sweet you off of your feet.
• If you approach a flooded road while driving, turn around and go another way. If you are caught on a flooded road and waters are rising rapidly around you, get out of the car and quickly move to higher ground. Most cars can be swept away by less than two feet of moving water.
• Keep children out of the water. They are curious and often lack judgment about running water or contaminated water.

If a flood does strike your home or business, contact the SERVPRO of Chesterfield and SERVPRO of Tri-Cities Plus at (804)-378-2323.

Even minor floods have the potential to cause major damage to a structure when not treated quickly and properly, and the cleanup is often an overwhelming task. The SERVPRO team is prepared to handle any size disaster.