Nineteen floods hit the U.S. last year. The worse occurred in the Baton Rouge area. According to an article in USA Today, it’s the most flooding in one year since record keeping began in 1980. Figures were based on a Geo Risk Research Report. 

Do you know what to do when water threatens your home? Homes in minimal risk areas (homes marked with an “x” on FEMA flood maps) where homeowners are not required by lenders to purchase flood insurance can experience flooding.

Sulphur resident Alex Blair is one such resident.

“In the zone I am in, flood insurance is not required,” Blair said. “A few weeks before the flood, there was a large rain event which brought water near our door’s threshold.”

Blair and his wife had never seen the water so high.

 “We made the decision that night to go to our agent immediately and purchase flood insurance,” he said. “Our insurance went into effect a couple of days before it flooded.”

The house had never flooded in the nine years the family lived there. A neighbor had lived in the same house for 22 years and it had never flooded.

“Like us, she was also concerned about the high water weeks before,” Blair said. “She did not have the money at the time and needed to wait until the first week of May. She was going to get insurance the day after the flood. It was very upsetting for her.”

The Blair family purchased flood insurance through a local agent. It is a National Flood Insurance Policy. 

An NFIP insurance adjuster came out the day after the flooding. The Blair family will receive an advance.

“He allowed us to start pulling the carpeting right before his visit because we had photos and video,” Blair said. 

The claim will take a couple of weeks to process. The Blair family expects to incur not only the cost of materials and labor for remodeling, but also the cost of storage and possibly the cost to find a lace to stay during the remodel. 

“I was surprised by how much damage it did,” Blair said. “We will probably be out of our house for several weeks as it is renovated. I feel adrift really. We are just basically feeling our way through this and making whatever plans we think we need to make.”

Drying out a home that’s been flooded requires taking immediate action.

“Mold and mildew can begin to occur within 24 to 48 hours,” said Lori plus patience for the process. The following recommendations for dealing with flood waters come from House Logic, an online web site, FEMA and from Lori Wilkinson, ServPro. 

“Mold and mildew can begin to occur within 24 to 48 hours,” Wilkinson said.  

Wilkinson said fans and dehumidifiers and help dry out the house. However, flood insurance might not reimburse for rental of all the equipment that’s needed to dry rooms as quickly as possible. 

After the flood

1. Before removing any water, renting equipment or getting rid of furniture, document the flooding for the insurance agent with picture or video.  

2. Get the majority of the standing water out of the house.

3. Concentrate on getting rid of wet furnishings and building materials, including laminate, carpet, pad and some vinyls. The reason, Wilkinson said, is because not only the problem of possible mold but because most flood watert is considered Category 3 water (sewer water). The Houselogic  website recommends wearing waders and rubber gloves and boiling water to avoid contaminants. 

4. Take baseboards off of exterior walls. 

5. Cut up at least two feet to get insulation out

6. Spray with a mildew inhibitor before repair.