The God’s Own country has faced the worst natural calamity, floods, in a century. We lost a lot of precious lives and suffered enormous losses. But life needs to move on and we need to survive the calamity with strength, willpower, and faith. Now precautions need to be taken post flood when you enter flood infected areas like your home, office buildings etc. Here are a few measures to restore your home or any building after flooding :
Back Home
- Do not go inside your home unless you make sure it’s safe to go in
- Make sure if the main power is off or not. Call in an electrician to check the electrical condition in your home to make sure there is no risk of getting shocks from electricity.
- Make sure every step you place inside your flooded home is with utmost precaution.
- Always make sure you do not use flooded electrical appliances until its dried properly and checked by an electrician that they are in working condition to avoid getting shocked or avoid fire risk.
- Make sure you call in an electrician to check your wiring and main electrical panels before you enter your home.
Is your building structure save?
- Ensure your building is saved structurally.
- Watch out for buckled walls and floor
- Look out for holes in the floor, broken glasses, any snakes or venomous creature who might have taken shelter at your home.
Safe Water
- Flood water will be heavily polluted and infected with microorganisms and sewage. Avoid coming in contact with such waters.
- If you have a well at your home avoid using the water from the well until its properly cleaned and disinfected.
Documentation
- Keep all your documents damaged by flood water in a freezer until required.
- Make evidence of your flood-damaged homes by making videos and taking photographs.
- Register the amount of damage to your home with both your insurance agent and local municipality immediately.
Time to clean your home
- Equipment required
- Gloves
- Masks and other protective gear
- Pails, mops, and squeegees
- Plastic garbage bags
- Unscented detergent
- Large containers for soaking bedding, clothing, and linens, and clotheslines to hang them to dry
Water removal
If there is water in your home drain them out in stages. Do not drain out them in one go because there is a risk of walls and floor buckling out. Pump out standing water and vacuum your home dry.
Dirt and debris
- Use jet spray machines to wash out dirt and debris.
- Hose down any dirt sticking to walls and solid-wood furniture then rinse several times.
- Clean the drainage system of your home with disinfectants and make sure no debris is clogging your drainage system.
Structures
- Ventilate the house until it is completely dry.
- Rinse and then clean all floors as quickly as possible.
- Clean all interior wall and floor cavities with a solution of water and unscented detergent.
Carpets and furniture
- Dry carpets that are usable within two days or discard them
- Clean furniture by washing off mud and soil.
- If items are just damp, let the mud dry and then brush it off.
- In order to check if your furniture is damp with water, paste a clear tap on the wood and leave it for some time. If the area under the tape is darker in colour than the other areas o the wood, it means the wood is still wet.
- Wooden furniture: Remove drawers and open doors. Do not dry quickly or splitting may occur.
Food and medicine
Make sure to dispose any food that you left behind at your home before the flood. Discard all cosmetics, detergents and bottled cleaning agents affected by flood water. Also, discard medicines that are affected by flood water.
Before moving back in
- Make sure you get clear water
- Every nook and corner of your home should be cleaned and dried.
- Sterilize usable containers and utensils by washing with hot water or disinfect with washing in chlorinated water.
- Proper toilet facilities are available
In the phase of such a dier disaster, let’s join hand in faith and move forward towards a new chapter of our lives by learning from our mistakes that we did towards nature and make sure to take steps that will save us from any future disasters. Live in harmony with nature and each other.” Remember Earth Is Our Home! We Need To Protect Her”
This information is provided by Architects in Trivandrum