Every day we face challenges in our lives. it is either we deal with it head on or let it deal with us and we will end up being a mess. I have always been a survivor and I refuse to play the victim because I am a winner! That is how competitive I am with myself.
Reaching a ripe old age of 60, life has certainly taught me many lessons. I am grateful to have learned from every single one of them. This is my school of life. I remember the recent challenges (in 2015) of having my house being “flooded” with water. One fine morning, when I woke up at 7 am to put my clothes for washing in the laundry room only to find that it was quickly being filled with water. Water, from only God knows where, was fast filling up the laundry room, flowing into the guest room, bathroom, closet, and living room. Panic-stricken, I was looking high and low for the source which the water was flowing from and finally found it under the laundry room sink. The rust which had gotten the better of the pipe wore off and water was rushing past its gaping hole! I quickly turned off the main valve. Thank God the water stopped gushing!!
What shall I do, what shall I do? I have NEVER had this kind of an encounter before…think quickly…I kept telling myself, refusing to panic! Without any experience of this kind before, the first thought was to call the carpet cleaners, right? The water was already reaching my ankles and it had flooded the living room. The carpets were water-soaked. When the carpet guy responded, all he did was to bring some fans to try to dry those water-soaked carpets. He said that I should actually call the “Restoration Professionals.” I have never heard of such people. Who are they? Once again I tried to remain as calm as possible. I know that if I panic, I will fall to pieces and NOTHING constructive will be done. So, I called the homeowner’s insurance company and was kindly given four names to contact. Called down the list and the first one responded within fifteen minutes, so she got the job. Between her and my insurance agent, they were communicating about the water damage and what needs to be done and replaced. This is what I have learned:
- Make sure the valves are turned off to stop any more incoming water
- Call the insurance company
- Take pictures.
- Remove waterlogged items from the house
- Make sure all electrical switches are off.
- Mitigate mold damage.
- Remove Water.
- Secure the property
Before you remove any water or make any repairs, fully document the damage for your insurer by taking photos or video. Digital versions are best because they can be stored electronically and easily copied. If you start removing water or making repairs before you photograph the damage, you could potentially decrease the extent of your coverage.
Even if the water in your home is clear, it could be contaminated by sewage or household chemicals.
Since you should notify your insurer as soon as possible after the flood, it’s a good idea to keep your insurance company and local agent’s phone number in your always-ready emergency bag.
Since groundwater flood damage typically isn’t covered by conventional homeowners insurance policies, you’ll need to work with your insurer to determine the cause of the flood and the extent of your coverage.
Advise your insurance representative of the state of your home and any repairs you intend to do immediately. Be sure to follow the insurance company’s direction about whether or not to wait for an adjuster to inspect the property before making repairs. Document the damage and conversations at every stage of the process.
What can you expect in terms of time to get back to normal? I was told that it could be as little as one week if the claim and clean up is minimal to five to six months if you’re working with an insurance adjustor and contractor to complete extensive repairs. My thoughts when looking at the damage was that it could take more than a month. I was correct!!
I was pretty nervous as my younger daughter’s wedding in Portland was coming up, the following week! On the positive side, it didn’t happen when I was away!! However, I kept reminding myself that I needed to be cool, calm,k and collected. There really is no point for me to worry about things that may or may not occur. I am so grateful that I did just that and I was working very closely with the “restoration professionals” every single day. The carpets in the closet room, bedroom, and living room have been water-damaged. So, I needed them to be replaced. I was quite worried about the mold infection which may occur between 48 to 72 hours if I did not dry the whole area. The project manager came with her “mold indicator” to show me that some mold was already growing behind the wood panels. Mold growth is a common occurrence in flood-damaged homes and damp environments. Mold can become a problem in the home if there is enough moisture available to allow them to thrive and multiply. I have asthma so that is not good news for me. All the wood panels had to be taken out for drying and sprayed with anti-mold spray.
It was a good thing that the project manager for the restoration work was very efficient and got as many things done as fast as possible. Unfortunately, I had to halt the painters and the carpenters who had to replace the wooden cabinets in the laundry room until the week I returned from my daughter’s wedding in Portland.
I was just grateful that all the back wood panels have been treated for anti-mold and that they did a great job in securing the house, making sure that it is completely dry. It took a while for the furniture to be back in position. I’m just grateful that all is back to normal again.
Lesson: We can’t always choose the music life plays for us but we can choose how we dance to it.