What to Do after a Commercial Water Loss

11/29/2018 (Permalink)

The harsh truth is that a water damage disaster can occur at any time – day or night.

In such an unfortunate circumstance, you may be forced to close down your business for a while as you try to get things back in order. You will certainly incur significant losses in terms of productivity and revenue.

If you fail to handle the commercial water damage properly and early, you can be faced with more losses and property destruction.

Fortunately, if you stay calm and take the right steps to mitigate the damage, you can save yourself a lot of stress and money. Knowing what these steps are, makes the difference between having to rebuild afresh and doing a few repairs.

So, what should you do after a commercial water disaster?

4 Important Things to Do After Commercial Water Damage

1. Switch Off the Main Power Supply

After a water disaster, the last thing you want is more emergencies. If you don’t switch off the power, you risk getting yourself or your employees electrocuted.

Maybe you will be smart enough to avoid the electrocution, but what about the risk of a fire outbreak?  We all know that water plus electricity equals double trouble.

If you are not able to safely switch off the power, unplug all your electrical appliances from their sockets and move them to higher areas of the room like counters or office desks to prevent them from coming into contact with water.

2. Use Disinfectant When Necessary

If the flooding in your commercial building is caused by a burst sewer pipe (which is usually the case), avoid drying the water with a rag. We know that you may want to get things back in order as soon as possible, but this is not the way to go.

The water is full of bacteria and harmful to your health. Instead, use a disinfectant on hard surfaces such as furniture and leave the general clean up to professionals.

3. Salvage and Dry Important Items

When your business property is affected by water damage, mold and mildew are things you’ll certainly worry about. Moreover, the more your furniture and equipment stay in the water-logged building, the more they get damaged.

You will need to take out wet items to dry and prevent mold growth. Do not stress about the walls or ceilings at this point. Just focus on saving what you can actually salvage from the situation. Also, ensure you save important paperwork and backup your electronic data (in case you didn’t).

4. Contact Your Insurance Provider

You need to notify your insurer of the water damage shortly after the disaster strikes. Be sure to describe the degree of damage, when happened, and the required repairs.

Provide as many details as you can, because this will be useful when seeking compensation. Sometimes, insurers may ask for photographs and videos of the damaged items as proof. So, ensure you document the damage before you start moving things.

5. Seek Commercial Restoration Services

You may have sun-dried some of your wet items, but this is not enough. They still need to be disinfected and given a proper restoration. Moreover, things like removing molds on walls and ceilings will require some professional expertise.

This is where SERVPRO comes to your rescue. This well-trained and equipped team will drain excess water from your premises and completely dry the whole place. They will also assess the extent of the damage and make necessary repairs. 

Additionally, they will have your property smelling fresh with their top-of-the-line odor removal techniques. With their excellent and affordable services, you will not need to rebuild afresh. That’s too expensive and time-consuming – a simple restoration from experts will do.