What Happens 24 Hours After a Flood?

1/24/2018 (Permalink)

You heard the flood evacuation order in time to get your family to safety. That’s the important part. Now you need to consider the protection of your home. Do you know what happens 24 hours after a flood? It might surprise you just how quickly things can go from bad to worse and why getting a jump on cleanup quickly is necessary. Whether your home is flooded from a pipe burst or flood waters, you could be in a mold cleanup situation sooner than you might realize.

The First 24 Hours

In the beginning, the water is on the surface. It is sitting on your hardwood, tile, and carpeting flooring. It is against your home’s walls and furniture legs. In anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours, the water can begin to seep into other areas:

• Under your flooring
• Into the basement or crawlspace
• Beyond the surface of walls into the drywall and studs

From there it can travel to other areas of your home. As the water spreads, the damage worsens. Materials swell, warp and deteriorate soon after a pipe burst.

The Next 24 Hours and Beyond

The longer water sits past 24 hours, the more damage can occur. That makes cleanup more difficult, and in some cases, impossible. With dirty water, the solids sink and become more strongly affixed to surfaces. Solids and microorganisms can permeate deeply. Items that may have been able to be restored before that happened may need to be thrown out.

In addition to this problem, it only takes 24 hours for mold to take notice of the prime environment for growth. Now, instead of just water removal and restoration, your Clear Lake, TX home also may need mold cleanup. Mold can also begin growing because of elevated humidity levels. High humidity enables mold to grow throughout your home, not just where the water is. This makes cleanup even more complex.

Do what you can to avoid mold cleanup on top of an already stressful situation and to minimize the work and costs involved. Call a professional immediately after a pipe burst or other water damage situation.




Visit http://www.SERVPROclearlake.com for more information on water damage.