Hurricane season is upon us and Storms Harvey, Irma and Maria have already caused mass devastation in the Caribbean and US. In the UK alone, 1 in 6 households is at risk of serious flooding, according to the National Flood Forum. If you have been affected by a flood, help and recovery are just a phone call away.
At Sarrani, we know how distressing and traumatic it is if your property has been affected by flooding. We have huge expertise in this area and offer full flood damage repair and flood damage restoration services.
When you call us to help with your flood damage insurance claim, we will work quickly and effectively to ensure your property is professionally and correctly reinstated to the highest possible standard with the least possible stress.
Flood damage and restoration services
There’s a lot more to flood damage than first meets the eye. It’s not just a question of mopping up the water. There are many other things to consider and each property is of course different, so the way we treat it will vary.
We offer the full range of flood damage services, from extracting water and decontaminating the affected areas, to drying out your property and restoring it to its former glory.
All reinstatement work is carried out by our trusted contractors in accordance with industry best practice. This is defined within the British Standard PAS 64:2013 – Mitigation and recovery of water damaged buildings guidelines.
And because we are paid by your insurer, there are no additional costs to you for our help in project managing and guaranteeing the work. Full details are contained in our terms and conditions, available on request.
Specialist restoration equipment
We have access to state-of-the-art water removal, cleaning and drying technology. We work with organisations such as Edge Equipment Hire, a dedicated and specialist equipment hirer catering for the needs of professional damage restoration companies.
In 2015-16 following the floods in Kendal, Cumbria, Edge hired out 4500 machines to companies working with those affected by the floods. They ensured that adequate, well-maintained machines were readily available for hire, enabling emergency works and drying to begin as soon as possible.
Edge also provide technical help to their customers, not just on how to use their machines but also on the best course of action depending on the scale and nature of the problem. We spoke to them about what’s involved in the flood recovery process.
The clean up process
1. Triage
In the event of a flood, the first stage in cleaning up is known as triage. This involves pumping the water out and making sure that affected areas are safe. Only then does drying out and restoration begin.
2. Drying out
A flood damaged property needs help to dry out, usually with dehumidifiers and other specialist drying equipment.
Dehumidifiers are used to collect excess moisture from the air of a damp building. Air is drawn into the machine by a fan and passed over a cool surface, causing moisture in the air to condense into water. The water is collected by the dehumidifier while the dry air is reheated and blown back into the room.
There are several different types of specialist drying methods, including targeted area-specific drying and pressure drying. The specialists at Edge work closely with Sarrani to decide which method(s) would be most efficient to best address a flood damaged property. The chosen method will depend on various factors such as the extent of the damage and the make up of the building.
3. Checking for other damage
Water will find its way into all the nooks and crannies of a building, so checking for leaks, mould and damp patches is essential to prevent further damage. Thermal imaging equipment can be very effective for this.
Thermal imaging cameras are a fairly new but extremely useful piece of equipment when it comes to restoring damage caused by flood. They can speed up restoration works and make repairs less intrusive and more accurate. We might, for example, use a camera to find damp and/or mould that is not visible to the naked eye. They can also be used to check that the drying process has been successful.
The repair process
Once your property has dried out and the risk of further damage has been assessed as acceptably low, we will then send in a team of contractors from our trusted supplier panel to carry out the necessary reinstatement works. This might include, depending on the extent of the damage:
- Cleaning and decontaminating the affected areas of your property
- Removal of mould and application of fungicide to all affected areas to minimise the chance of further mould growth in the future
- Neutralising unpleasant odours resulting from exposure to flood
- Drying, cleaning and restoring furniture, upholstery and carpets
- Restoring and replacing floors, woodwork and walls affected by the flood
- Preparing a variety of insurance claim reports required by your insurer throughout the restoration process.
