Types of Flood Damage 4.8 (95%) 4 votes (95%)votes

Types of Flood Damage: Whether it is as a result of plumbing failure or natural disaster, floods can be a nightmare to any homeowner. A lot of your property could be damaged and recovering from this nightmare can be a difficult task. Some of these damages occur swiftly, within the first few minutes after the flood occurs, while others will not develop until many days after the flood.

This is why to need to start a clean-up procedure ASAP! For clean-up purposes, always remember that time is a key factor in determining the extent of property damage. If your house has flooded for more than a few hours, the amount of material to be removed is going to be extensive. That is why you need to contact a flood damage repair and restoration company soonest possible to start water extraction and restoration process.

Considering the fact that some damages start immediately while others wait for hours, days and even weeks to occur, there are various kinds of flood damages one can face. Depending on how long you take to start water extraction process, below are the types of flood damages, starting from the most immediate ones to the ones that occur days after the flood.

First hour flood damage

It is not practically possible to prevent these types of flood damages. Once water enters the house, there are those rapid damages that happen to your property immediately. You can do little or nothing about them. However, since most of them are less or minor issues as compared to the damage that occurs later, they are not usually of big concern.

The initial flood damages include such issues as: water spreading fast throughout the building reaching other areas, staining of carpet by drapes, curtains and other non-colorfast items, permanent destruction of paper goods, books and documents and permanent discoloration and damage of furniture which are moisture sensitive.

First day flood damages

If your items are still exposed to moisture in the next 24 hours, there are other several kinds of flood damages that will follow. The first 24-hour damages are not fully irreversible, but they could cause more long-lasting damages if clean up to extract water is not undertaken during this period.

Damages that occur in the first 24 hours include;swelling and disintegration of furniture legs, decorative and artistic wooden structures, buildup of bacterial odor, tainting and rusting of metal surfaces that are not coated and enhancing the normal household odors.

First week flood damages

If you are slow in getting a company to dry and extract water from your house within the first twenty four hours, you are simply waiting for more serious damages to occur to your property. Damages that occur after one day of flooding could be permanent destruction of furnishings, structural damages to walls and flooring.

Such damages include;molding and development of musty odor, rusting of uncoated metal surfaces, swelling and degeneration of drywall, break up of electrical components and musical instruments, delaminating and distortion of wooden window and door casings and splitting of wooden studs. These damages could even go to the extent of creating unsafe and hostile breathing environment especially for people with respiratory complications.

Flood damage after first week

Major water leaks could happen if an action is not yet taken after the first week. Serious and more complicated damages could occur to your house and property. Any damage at this point should be of big concern to you since most of them are permanent requiring expensive and complex flood damage restoration procedure. Serious damages will occur and the prior ones will continue to worsen if no action is taken.

You can expect damages such as prolonged growth of mold and mildew, continued swelling and warping of wood structural elements, continued breakdown of chemical within wood which result to destruction and discoloration of wood finishes and increment of claim and restoration charges. In severe cases, the situation in the house could cause serious occupant health hazards!

Looking at the above flood damages, it is clear that an individual can undergo great losses if nothing is done once a flood occurs. One week is enough to causes alarming property damages which you are even afraid of imagining of. It is therefore advisable that you consider having a flood damage insurance cover so that the possible destructions can be compensated for. However, even if you already have an insurance cover, it is intelligent for you to contact a flood damage restoration company as soon as your house floods to minimize the extent of damages.