What to Do if your Basement Floods

11/1/2021 (Permalink)

The basement. The room most vulnerable to flooding. Finished or unfinished, water doesn’t discriminate. Every year, thousands upon thousands of homeowners experience the nightmare of a flooded basement. But what do you do when water begins pouring into your basement? 

Your own safety comes first. If the water is above electrical outlets, unplug all appliances, and shut off the electricity. Once the risk of electricity is gone, you can begin removing your belongings from the flooded area to a dry, well-ventilated area, so they can dry out. 

With your belongings safely removed, you can now focus on extracting the water from your basement. Most basements have a sump pump, which is a system designed to push accumulating water from your basement to the outside. But what if your basement does not have a sump pump or the sump pump is not working properly? 

If your basement is only partially flooded, you can use a wet-dry vacuum to suck up the standing water, but if the flood is substantial, you may need to call a plumber or emergency service, like SERVPRO, to manually pump the water out of your basement. 

SERVPRO is equipped to remove standing water and begin the cleaning and drying process as soon as possible. Cleaning and drying should be done quickly to mitigate or prevent mold growth, which can be harmful to your health.