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Floods are one of most common natural disasters in the United States. Unfortunately, there is no set “flood season” as this varies from state-to-state and at different times of the year. However, a flood could occur anywhere, no matter how dry the ground is or how high up a property is located. If an area can receive rain, it has the potential to flood. When a building is vulnerable to flood damage, there are steps property owners can take to prepare for the worst.

Since the 1970’s, the number of big hurricanes has gone up by about 70%. In the last few years, it seems like the U.S. has not gotten a break from these tropical forces. Hurricanes Ike, Katrina, and Rita, to name just a few, have created millions of dollars in damages to our cities not to mention threatened and taken lives. We can’t change what those storms have done, but we can learn from the lessons they taught us.

Hurricanes can devastate communities across the United States in ways unimaginable. Within the last five years, we have seen homelessness, illness, loss of life, loss of pets, loss of property, loss of business, etc. due to the forces of this natural disaster. From June to the end of November of each year, destructive winds, tornadoes, and floods from heavy rains are all things that can be expected if one lives in an area frequented by hurricanes. One should be prepared before the hurricane season starts…before it is too late.

Water damage is one of the most problematic and widely experienced forms of disaster damage in the country. Its causes are numbered and varied, including natural flooding, burst or leaky pipes, fire hose damage, and plain old humidity. Water damage is such a problem because it affects most every aspect of your home; it rots the wood, rusts the steel, de-laminates plywood, and, most frustratingly, ruins precious documents. To lose appliances or furniture is one thing. Those can be replaced. But when a flood or some other disaster damages family photo albums, antique books, or business documents, water damage goes from irritating to downright tragic.

So you’ve just survived a flood. What next? The time immediately following a flood is the most crucial if you are expecting to recover any personal property that may have been damaged by the floodwaters. However, hasty recovery tactics can lead to further damage of your property and potential harm to yourself and your loved ones. The best way to recover from a flood is to determine the type of flood you’ve experienced, the extent of the damage that has occurred, and the safest way to go about salvaging your belongings.