HOW TO DEAL WITH A FLOODED BASEMENT
The recent heavy rains in Lloydminster and Edmonton have left a lot of families in a tough position. If your basement has moisture in the floors and walls you need to act quick to avoid the worst impact of the moisture, MOLD. Mold will begin to grow within 48 hours in the right conditions so removing the moisture is critical as fast as you can.
First things first. You need to determine if the moisture/water is from ground seepage or from sewer water. If the water is sewer water you will likely have insurance, but good luck getting insurance from ground seepage. In any case you should call the insurance company right away and ask them what you should do. The worst thing to do is nothing. Trust me when I say the problem will only get worse if you ignore it so don’t procrastinate.
I recommend that you have a plan in place within 24 hours of the flood occurrence. I recently was asked to sample the air in a flooded basement before the removal of the damaged drywall and flooring. I could see lots of mold like growth in the week old flooded basement and could not see the point in telling the clients they had mold when it was so obvious. Testing is important after the remediation is complete and the basement is thought to be mold and moisture free. Testing the air beforehand is pointless in my opinion.
Once you are satisfied that the moisture is dried up and the wet materials have been removed and dried out you can have the area tested for mold spores in the air or if you wish to proceed without the testing (not recommended). Before restoring the building you should try to fix the issue that led to the moisture in the first place. Often this is poor drainage outside and around the home. In any case you will want to be sure the problem does not re-occur. If you take anything from this article it should be that quick action is necessary if you get water in you basement.
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