Two weeks ago Kansas City received a ridiculous amount of rain. Local creeks and streams broke their banks and a little further north rivers were busting at the seams. Many homes suffered flooding and sewer backups from the excess water and one Apartment Therapy reader emailed us with a few tips and suggestions after their basement took on more than 2 feet of water and waste from the sewer lines!
Jennifer and Spencer from Kansas City bought their first home almost one year ago and have since been renovating, refinishing and doing all sorts of projects. Their garage became the only open space to rotate items in and out between projects. The space itself was also in project mode as it was getting new walls and insulation (all of which were ruined in the flooding). Not only did their home suffer from basic flooding, but they also had a sewer line break, meaning... that's not mud on the floor in those photos.
Their cleanup process had to be fast acting, but without being able to get an adjuster to their home within the first 24 hours, something had to be done — here's what Jennifer had to say about their recovery process in case others find themselves in the same unfortunate situation.
• Keep receipts for every purchase you make to clean up...dumpster rental,bottles of bleach, rubber gloves, fans and so forth. Items add up quickly and the amount you have to spend on things will be taken into account if you can prove the dollar amounts you actually put into the cleanup process.
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• Take photos of everything and keep a paper or typed digital record of the items that saw damage. We couldn't get an adjuster here for a week because of the floods in Arkansas and Tennessee a few weeks prior, but it was a health hazard to not start clean up and get things thrown out. We kept detailed records of everything that made its way to the dumpster. When our adjuster was finally able to make it we were able to present him with a contact sheet of photos and a disc containing the individual images for review.
• If a water heater is damaged tell the adjuster immediately. Even if they can't get there for a few days they will still most likely approve you to get it fixed since it hinders your standard of living (cold showers suck!). Make sure to check that it's working right away!
Although these things seem like instinct, it can be tricky to remember the importance of each of them when disaster strikes. Have you experienced something similar? Have any tips to add to the pile? Share your thoughts below!
Thanks Jennifer and Spencer!
(Images: Jennifer Brown)
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All of this assumes that the homeowner has insurance that covers flood and water damage - and most homes do NOT have this coverage. So make sure you review your insurance to know exactly what you're covered for.
Growing up in a house that had a recurring flooding problem in the basement, we learned quickly to prepare for them in advance:
1. Always have a wet/dry ShopVac handy. Its the only way to actually remove water in any substantial way.
2. A stiff-edged broom can help to "push" water to floor drains or out of carpeting.
3. You'll need a dehumidifier running for a long time after you think you've dried everything up - you'll be surprised at how much moisture remains.
4. If the area is likely to flood again in the future, some simple remodeling can help to prevent damage. We had concrete floors and replaced the fabric carpeting with a synthetic that wouldn't harbor bacteria or mold. No padding - it simply would hold water and rot. We also replaced the drywall/wood paneling and started hanging it at the ceiling, stopping several inches short of the concrete floor. We then used synthetic baseboard trim (instead of wood) to cover the gap. This way, when the water came through, the walls weren't sitting in the water and absorbing it upward. Most importantly, we just knew not to store anything directly on the floor (aside from Rubbermaid containers and the like). Everything sat up on shelving or was furniture with extended legs, preferably made of synthetic or metal materials.
we had a horrid septic backup in our basement a few weeks ago due to a root invading our pipe. It was covered by our normal homeowners insurance because it was an inside flood. We had to pay for the repair to the pipe- but over 3000 dollars worth of clean up was covered by insurance. They came in that night and cleaned up the mess in a few hours- then we had de humidifiers and fans running down there for 48 hours-industrial ones that were super powerful.
This same flood would not have been covered at all if the water had come in due to rain or wind from the outside. Flood insurance is a good idea... you do NOT want to have to clean this stuff up yourself.
Hi, this is Jennifer whose house had sewer back-up. I agree that flood insurance is great and I will be adding it to my policy. I didn't feel the need to add it back when we bought the house because I didn't feel that the surrounding creeks could possibly flood all the way to our home.... I did however put on sewage backup protection...and thank goodness I did!
At our home we have a drain right outside the garage door, and another one inside. When the city sewer systems began to back up it pooled about 3 ft. deep in our driveway outside the garage, and bubbled up in the basement a good 3 ft. as well. At first they weren't going to cover us, thinking that the drain from outside had flooded into the house through the garage door. It wasn't until we showed video of it bubbling up from the drain inside that we could claim it as sewer backup (even though, technically they both were since they were both from the same main pipe!)
In our case, the sewer backup was solid human waste. You couldn't see through the "water" and we were literally washing away human feces while cleaning. We put on rubber boots and started hauling things into the driveway either throwing them away or piling up for cleanup if it was salvagable....we hosed everything down with water and then went through and sprayed a bleach solution onto the floor, walls and items that were touched. All around...a disgusting situation....but with all the photos and materials we prepared for the adjustor we got our full coverage amount back and he even absorbed our $1000 deductible and added on an extra 5% for removal since it wasn't just water... so we came out pretty lucky!!!
I would like to caution people about a possible problem when they claim an insurance loss on a flood. I live in a flood prone neighborhood and carry the mandatory FEMA insurance. Every year when I pay the premium, FEMA sends a listing of the flood claims on the property (none.) This leads me to believe that there is a data base of claims and it may be available to prospective buyers. If so, your property values may be affected in the future if you file a claim. In other words, you may only want to file for a serious loss such as Jennifer and Spencer’s.
And to those who say that I should just move out of my flood prone neighborhood, well it isn't that easy. I love my neighbors. I can ask for help in times of trouble and, in return, I give help. This is what keeps me and my neighbors here. Also although it is a flood plain, it is one a very rare event, not a common occurrence.
My heart goes out to Jennifer and Spencer.
This post would have been more useful...idk...about a month or two ago.