Floods Damage and Affect Homes and Businesses

Your home or business can never be immune to water damage. Water damage has been considered by FEMA to be a costly hazard that is quite common. And how common is this? As per the National flood Insurance Program or NFIP, in high-risk areas, the chances of floods affecting a property over any 30-year mortgage period is 1 in every 4. It is sad, that many home and business owners have typical insurance policies that do not cover any loss due to damage by water due to weather, like tropical storms, thunderstorms, excessive rain/snow, or hurricanes, which have always been the commonly recognized cause of floods. Flooding can also occur due to clogged sewerage systems, dam failures, paving from urbanization, among other reasons. Flooding can occur quickly or slowly, and affect the obvious areas, as well as those that are not harmed in dry weather.

How do floods affect homes and businesses?

1. Risks to Health and Safety

Floods can cause water damage that leads to many safety and health risks, if the water is not cleaned up immediately, and this can include:

Damage to the structure
Damage to electrical systems and risks in using them
Sharp metals and glasses
Standing water can lead to diseases and sanitary hazards
Contamination of drinking water
Cause the malfunction of sewerage and drainage systems
Lead to communications being cut off
Destruction of roads and bridges
Landslides
Damage to crops

2. Loss of Life

You or your business can suffer from loss of life, and this is one of the most devastating damage that floods can cause. In the U.S., flash floods are considered the number one killer caused by weather and have led to the deaths of people, livestock, animals, and pets.

3. Emotional Hardship

People who are affected by floods have difficulty dealing with the situation that they experience, and this leads to them becoming anxious, depressed, afraid, angry, frustrated, sad and filled with grief. The symptoms they have then interfere with relationships, lead to problems in sleeping, cause depressed appetites, and others. That is why when FEMA and Red Cross personnel respond to flood-related disasters, they take along mental health professionals.

4. Damage to Property

Water damage due to floods makes up for ninety percent of the damage caused by natural disasters. This affects, homes, businesses, belongings, vehicles, and equipment among others. Nothing escapes floods. Even a few inches of water can lead to major damage to the contents of a home, or a business, while it also affects land and buildings.

5. Economic Loss

Insurance companies and their policies in most cases, do not cover water damage caused by flooding, and this leads to huge financial strain on the persons affected by floods. In the year 2011, the costs incurred due to flooding in the United States were over $8.5 billion. That is why you need to ensure that you have adequate cover for flood insurance when you verify your current level of insurance cover. After floods, it can take years for the communities so affected to rebuild and bring life back to normal.

Has water damage caused you problems?

Then time is not with you. You need to act fast to deal with property damage and any loss caused by seeping water. Do not delay cleaning up after you have suffered water damage. You are only prolonging the inevitable unless all your items are completely dry. Contact the professionals for fast and speedy resolution.