What Areas of My Morris Plains House Can Become Damaged in a Flood?

7/8/2020 (Permalink)

No matter how or where your storm damage has occurred, SERVPRO is standing by ready to assist.

There are many entry points for flood damage, and our SERVPRO professionals have the skill and materials to recover damaged areas quickly during the restoration process. 

Flood recovery is one of the areas where our SERVPRO team must act deliberately and quickly to protectMorris Plainshomes. One of the most challenging aspects of this disaster is how many ways it can enter and impact your property. Understanding these points of penetration and the appropriate response to these emergencies can help protect the house when flooding begins.

Even when you do not consider the migration of effects, the pressing need for flood repair inMorris Plainshomes can often have enough of an urgency for property recovery. While emergency services often precede much of the other mitigation steps necessary to restore the damage, these preliminary actions also help to control the entry points for flood penetration. Knowing the most likely areas to contend with flooding can help to implement construction solutions to stop water from finding its way into the house. 

Is Roof Damage Common? 

With the violent storms common to the area, Roof damage is something that many homes have experienced. When any form of compromise happens in your home's structural shell, it can create vulnerable points and avenues of penetration for runoff, wind-driven rain, and flooding. In many ways, this variety of flooding is among the most familiar with the area's properties because of our history with severe weather events. The damage possible to your roof can vary depending on the type of precipitation involved and the circumstances. Some of these conditions include:

• Damaged Shingles - Shingles are a common installation element for area homes, but are susceptible to fierce winds and other damaging conditions. When any portion of these shingles is missing or damaged, there are vulnerabilities present that allow water penetration.

• Partial Collapse - During the winter months, especially, your roof can deal with much strain from heavy snowfall or saturation. When joists and underlayment begin to weaken under the weight of standing snow, these supports can give way and allow for partial collapse of the roof system.

• Ice Damming – In the winter months, cold snaps can form ice barriers along the edge of a roof eave and prevent melting snow from getting into the gutters. As this water refreezes and the dam grows, it can damage shingles. 

How Do Openings in the House Allow for Flooding? 

Breaches in your structural integrity can happen in almost every severe weather event, and when it does, it leaves your home vulnerable to water penetration. In most situations, harsh and fierce winds can have the direst effects on the exterior of your home. Once openings exist, they must first get addressed by responding contractors on our team before we can officially begin with mitigation to remove standing water and other damaging effects inside. Some of the most common structural damages that can occur include:

• Broken Windows
• Missing Siding
• Damaged Foundation Block

How Do Internal Water Damages Get Resolved? 

Our in-house contractors (General Contractor License #: 13VH06046200) can work quickly to establish temporary construction solutions to protect your home in the event of a flood. We have experienced professionals in every niche of the building trades to work quickly on these solutions that allow mitigation to begin as promptly as possible. Addressing water damage inside your house once flood water penetrates the exterior involves many steps in phases that must begin as soon as possible, such as:

• Drying - When it comes to removing water from the damaged areas of your home, there are many solutions for moisture elimination. Often this task falls to air movers, dehumidifiers, and other specialty drying tools.

• Cleaning - Cleaning is undoubtedly one of the primary needs of your home after a flood loss event. Especially in situations where the water is believed to be contaminated, this cleaning takes on a more critical role.

• Controlled Demolition – There are situations wheresimple drying solutions are not sufficient to protect your home and its contents. Controlled demolition removes damaged portions of structural elements and makes later reconstruction and repair more efficient and cost-effective. 

Flood losses do not have to be as devastating to your home as they initially appear. Our SERVPRO of East Central Morris County team can work quickly to establish containment and work to dry out and clean affected areas of your home. Through experienced professionals and cutting-edge equipment, we can make flood losses "Like it never even happened." Call us today at (973) 887-9100.