It may seem like flooding in a company building is less serious than—say—your home flooding, yet if this company is the way you provide for your family, it may be just as serious. Not only does major flooding in your business slow operations to a crawl, but it also poses a threat to the health of you, your employees, and your customers.
In this article, we’ll examine ways to prepare for and prevent your business from flooding, as well as deal with the aftermath. Let’s start!
How Flooding Can Jeopardize Business
Flooding is one of the most unexpected problems to run into as a business owner. Water damage is catastrophic to property and occurs under many circumstances including appliance failure, commercial storm damage, leaking roof, plumbing malfunction, and basement flooding.
The seriousness of a flood can differ. You may have a broken pipe letting loose gallons of clean, sanitary water. Maybe a sewer pipe breaks down the street and sends a deluge of toxic waste your way. Perhaps water levels rise in the rivers after rain and begin to overflow nearby. Despite the different types of flooding, they all cause the same issue: holding up business!
Damaged materials can require costly repairs and lose you major progress on projects. Some water may contaminate key areas of your business. Preparation will save you major heartache.
Can I Prevent My Business From Flood Damage?
There are a few areas where preventative measures can go a long way. Flooding is one of the most difficult calamities to prepare for, whether residential or commercial. Water can become an issue anywhere on your property, so following these tips can save you a lot of pain:
- Properly seal the building.
Ensuring that the correct techniques are useable in the construction of your facility will make a huge difference. For example, joint sealants are applicable to new or old materials to prevent any liquid from entering through cracks and spaces.
- Utilize good flooring options.
There is a range of materials that can be used for flooring that will make preventing and fixing flood damage much easier on you and your team. Choosing the right flooring can be the difference between simply removing water and needing to buy an entire new floor. Consider options like epoxy flooring.
- Leak-proof your roof.
There are quite a few roofing options that work effectively to prevent leaks, while still appearing conventionally attractive. As important as aesthetics are, it’s should be a higher priority to keep your gutter from dumping water into the attic. Solutions can range from liquid applications to rubber and even asphalt!
How Do I Deal With Business Flood Damage?
Dealing with flood damage on your commercial property can be quite a pain even if you have flood insurance. Regardless of where the flooding originated, there is a laundry list of fixes that must be made in the wake (pun slightly intended) of significant water damage.
The first requirement is to secure and stabilize your building. Water may have weakened walls or other supports, and doing the dirty work to remove it all may jeopardize the structure. Any demolition that may need to be done will require a safe work area.
You may still be using the location for operations during the water damage cleanup, so temporary power and lighting could be necessary. Along with this, boarding up windows and tarping structures will prevent the area from being dirtied any further.
The contents of your building are valuable, so careful measures should be taken to pack, clean, and store these materials. This means drying documents and rebuilding areas for their safekeeping. To be completely sure that the issue is resolved, a high-tech inspection is recommended to uncover any hidden water intrusion.
Read on to understand why Compleat Restorations is the company to call to check every one of these boxes!
Compleat Restorations Can Help
When your livelihood is on the line, it’s not worth messing around with anyone but the pros. Our team understands the trauma associated with catastrophic loss and is committed to listening and responding to your needs. Compleat Restorations has over 40 years of experience in both residential and commercial cleaning and restoration.
Rapid response is essential to minimize damage, control costs, and prevent microbial growth. When in doubt, always go over the water damage restoration and cleanup checklist. When you need emergency water restoration services, our team responds, on-site, within two hours of your call—that’s 24/7/365.
Read more about Compleat’s commercial water damage restoration here!