When Water Damage Strikes: Know What To Do

9/24/2020 (Permalink)

The first 24 hours following a water loss are the most important in preventing secondary or permanent damage to your home or business. To help ensure a water damage is handled correctly complete the following steps:

Emergency Water Damage Tips:

• Shut off the water source if possible or contact a qualified party to stop the water source.
• Turn off circuit breakers for wet areas of the building when access to the power distribution panel is safe from electrical shock. 
• Remove as much excess water as possible by mopping or blotting.
• Place aluminium foil or wood blocks between furniture legs and wet carpeting.
• Move any paintings, art objects, computers, documents, and other sensitive valuables to a dry place. 
• Don't enter affected areas if electrical outlets, switches, circuit breakers or electrical equipment are exposed to water. Always avoid electrical shock hazards.
• Don't use your household vacuum cleaner to remove water *this could cause electrical shock and/or damage to the vacuum.
• Don't turn on ceiling fixtures if ceiling is wet or enter rooms where ceilings are sagging from retained water. Watch for a possible Ceiling collapse.

After taking the first steps to limit the damage to your Bergen County home or business. The next step in the process is to:

Call SERVPRO of Northwest Bergen 

As a leader in the water damage restoration industry we will help you through the process of mitigating the damage. Here are the steps that will  happen next: 

Inspection: Our experienced SERVPRO of Northwest Bergen Service Technicians will inspect affected areas to determine the extent of water damage and will review the inspection with you to answer any questions before beginning any work. 

In case of Emergency Service: Service Technicians will take steps to help protect your home or business, as well as personal belongings and other contents, from further damages by extracting the excess water and preparing the area for drying. They will explain the needed emergency services to you step by step.

Monitoring: To help ensure your home or business and belongings are dried to appropriate industry standards, a technician will monitor the drying process. The updates will be consistently be communicated to you. 

Restoration Services: Are available upon request. We will repair structural materials, reinstall carpets, and clean affected areas of your property. A final walk-through of the job-site will be conducted with you.

With our level of experience in water damage restoration our SERVPRO of Northwest Bergen County team is prepared for nearly any type and size disaster that could affect your home. Give us a call today at (201) 236-2400.