Recover Your Property With Flood Damage Restoration in Charlotte & Concord, NC
Flood damage is outside water that has come into your home. In the Charlotte region that usually means a summer thunderstorm that drops more rain than the ground can take, or the remains of a tropical storm that keep the rain coming for days. Our red-clay soil drains slowly, so water collects against foundations and finds its way in through doors, crawl space vents, window wells and low spots in the floor. If that has happened to you, call (980) 501-1879. We answer 24/7 and send a crew as soon as we can. Other damage a storm leaves behind falls under storm damage restoration, a separate job from removing the water.
Flood damage restoration is a sequence of stages, and we keep them separate so you always know where your home stands. First we find out where the water came from and whether it is safe to work. Then we remove standing water and decide which materials have to come out. Then we dry what stays, take moisture readings as we go and document the damage. We do this for homes and businesses from our offices in Concord and Charlotte. Repairs are a separate step after everything is dry and documented, and we can do those too, or work alongside your own contractor.
Flood damage follows the same basic process as any other water damage restoration, including how water is sorted into categories. With floodwater, we treat the water as contaminated from the start, and that changes how we handle each stage.
Assess Floodwater Sources and Access Before Cleanup
Before we touch anything, we ask where the water came from and how it got in. Did it come through a door, a vent, a window well or the floor? Is it still rising? Which levels are wet, and were any rooms already damp before this storm? Is there a sewage smell, or has a drain backed up? Is the power still on, and can you reach the panel without stepping in water? The answers tell us what the job is and what has to happen first.
Safety comes before cleanup. The CDC says floodwater can carry waste, chemicals, germs and debris, and that you can't judge how safe it is by how it looks. Don't wade through standing water to reach a breaker or switch, and don't run electrical equipment where the floor is wet. If you can't reach your main switch from a dry spot, call an electrician or your power company. Our assessment covers the water damage in your property. It isn't a safety clearance, because electrical, structural and public-safety questions belong to an electrician, an engineer or your local authorities.
Where the water came from changes the job. If it came in below ground level, that's basement flooding, and the work starts with getting the water out of a lower level. If it filled the space under your house, that's crawl space flooding, where the working space is low and tight. If a sewer line or floor drain backed up, you have a sewage loss, and sewage cleanup is a separate contaminated-water job.
Remove Standing Water and Decide Which Materials Need Attention
Once it's safe to work, we remove the standing water with extraction equipment, starting where it's deepest and where it's headed next. Water extraction goes room by room, and we photograph where the water was before it comes out. Taking the water out is the first stage, not the whole job, because floodwater soaks into flooring, padding, the bottom of walls, insulation and cabinets, and into spaces you can't see.
After the water is out, we go through what it touched and sort materials into two groups: what can be cleaned and dried, and what has to come out. That depends on what was in the water and how long the material stayed wet, not on how it looks. CDC guidance is to throw away drywall and insulation that floodwater has contaminated, and absorbent items that can't be cleaned and dried. Carpet padding and soaked insulation are common examples. Other materials get checked one at a time.
What can't be saved comes out so it isn't sitting in your home holding moisture. We won't promise that every floor, wall or cabinet can be saved. If something is borderline, we'll show you the moisture readings and explain why we're recommending drying or removal.
Track Moisture and Plan the Drying Handoff
A room that looks dry isn't necessarily dry. After the water and the ruined materials are out, moisture is still in the walls, under the floor and in the framing. We use moisture meters and thermal imaging cameras to find it, then set air movers and dehumidifiers to pull it out. Structural drying works material by material, because a wall cavity, a subfloor and cabinets don't dry at the same rate.
We take readings at set points, go back to the same points and record what we find, so you can see the numbers change. If a reading isn't coming down, we change the setup or take out more material. EPA says drying can take a long time, usually several days to weeks, and that mold can grow on wet wood, drywall, carpet and furniture that stay wet for more than 24 hours. That is why we go by readings and not by a calendar, and why we don't promise a fixed number of days.
The handoff comes when the readings show the materials are dry. Dry is a different question from ready to live in. Those decisions involve your adjuster, whoever is doing the repairs and, where there were electrical or structural concerns, the right professional. We don't certify a home as safe to occupy.
Document Belongings and What Happens When Drying Is Done
Start documenting as soon as it's safe. Photograph each affected room from the doorway, then close up on the damage. List what was in each room, and photograph what's damaged before it's moved or thrown out. We document the damage too, with photos, moisture readings and drying records, and we note which materials we took out.
We work with all insurance companies. We document the damage with photos, moisture readings and drying records and share them with your adjuster. Your policy and your insurance company decide what's covered.
Belongings are a separate question from the building. We can pack them out of the wet area and pack them back in when the work is done. We don't restore contents ourselves, so if an item needs a specialist, we'll tell you. Items that soak up water and can't be cleaned and dried are treated the same way as building materials.
Once everything is dry and documented, repairs can begin. We give you the drying records your adjuster needs, and we can also handle repairs such as drywall, flooring and cabinets. If you already have a contractor, we'll give them the drying records and work alongside them. Who does the repairs is your choice.
Request a Flood Damage Restoration Assessment in Charlotte & Concord, NC
If water has come into your home, call (980) 501-1879. We answer 24/7 and send a crew as soon as we can. It helps if you can tell us which rooms are wet, where you think the water came in, when it started, whether it's still coming in and whether you can get into the house safely. If you can't answer all of that, call anyway. We'll work through it with you.
After we inspect the damage, we give you a written scope of the work: what we'll remove, what we'll dry and what we'll document.