Having your business flood can be devastating, as well as cause a lot of confusion. Between getting access to your flooded office, scheduling carpet cleaning, and negotiating with the insurance company, it’s easy to assume that everything’s under control. However, stopping there neglects some critical steps to ensure your flooded office space doesn’t turn into a bigger business disaster.
Here are some of the steps you should take when your commercial space floods:
Check for Structural Damage
Flooded offices can come with various hazards that aren’t always apparent if you don’t know what to look out for. If your business suffered sustained damage from rushing water or another form of flooding, then there might be structural problems that can cause a building collapse, so it’s essential to check for these.
However, there are other issues that you shouldn’t ignore. For example, you should never walk beneath any ceiling that has signs of dampness, especially if it’s begun to bulge. This is because it can burst at any moment and expose you to dangerous contaminants that can make you ill.
Turn Off the Power and Gas
Once you’ve determined that the area is safe to enter, you should shut off all power and gas in the affected area. Electrical wiring can become a severe hazard in a flooded area because it can lead to electrocution and even fire if the wiring has become exposed. Since there’s no way to know every way the flooding has impacted your building, it’s always better to be overly cautious.
Similarly, floods can expose vulnerabilities in your gas lines, leading to a gas leak in your business. Shutting off the gas mains will eliminate the possibility that a stray spark will ignite leaking gas, thereby adding fire to the list of your business’s problems.
Disinfect Everything
Once the floodwaters recede, you should make every effort to throw away things you can and disinfect everything else.
As dangerous as a flooded building can be while the water is around, you have to also think about the bacteria, viruses, and mold that it can leave behind when it’s gone. Damp paper, rugs, curtains, and other items can begin to mildew after the flood and could be covered in dangerous microbes that can make you sick.
To find out more about what to do after your office space floods, or get a quote from an expert water damage repair company in Reading, call ServiceMaster Restore today!
