What to Do With Flood Damage
Having flood damage in your business or office space can be a real nightmare. It means that work has to slow down and accommodations need to be made. In the worst-case scenario, it may mean your merchandise is ruined. Your location may have to move temporarily or be shut down for some time while restoration happens.
These cases may seem extreme but it does happen. This can set back companies, especially if it is a physical location or a storage place. A store permanently closing can happen from damage. You do not want this to happen to your business or company.
Luckily there are some important steps that you can take to be prepared against flood damage. While preparation will not stop flood damage from happening, it will help you when it does happen. This means you will not have to permanently shut your doors or close down your business.
There are some things you can do to make sure flood damage does not happen with your business space. This can also be important so flood damage does not keep happening. If this is the case, your flood insurance can go up which can become expensive. While flood damage preparation is important, this article is going to get into the details of what to do when flood damage does happen.
Here are five things you need to do if flood damage happens to your business:
Be Prepared
The last thing you want is to have damage happen without any kind of flooding insurance. This is not a good situation to be in because it is too late to get flood damage insurance. If you decide to get help with anything related to restoration, it is going to have to come out of pocket.
Costs for restoration can become expensive really quickly. If you lose any merchandise you have probably lost money on that product if you do not have any kind of insurance. The best thing you can do to protect your company is to get insurance, specifically flood damage insurance.
Another thing that you can do is make sure your space is designed to protect against flood damage. Do not keep the product on the ground. Take the time to make shelves or store your product off of the floor. This way your product is protected from flood damage that does happen on the floor. It can also help with insurance claims if you show that you tried to keep your space protected against flood damage.
Stay Safe at All Costs
Before you do anything to start cleaning up the damage, stay safe. Do not go anywhere that does not look safe. Flood damage can eat away at wood and other materials. This means that structures are no longer safe. While they may have once been safe, damage done can make it unsafe which can endanger you and any employees.
The best thing for you to do is to not go in or start making sure that structures are safe by testing them out. Water is not great when it comes in contact with anything electrical. Stay safe before you start trying to clean things up.
Do Not Move Anything
Yes, this can sound a little weird, but do not move anything just yet. After you have made sure that the space is safe to be in or around, take a deep breath. You will want to take photos of the space. You will want to show everything in the space, everything. This includes where the furniture is and where everything is when you walk into the space. Do not try to clean the space up or move things around to make it look better.
After you have taken photos of the space, it is time to make some calls. The first place you want to call is your insurance place. They can tell you what you need to do next. This may be scheduling a time for someone to come inspect the location.
Get Moving
Once you have been given the clear, it is time to start cleaning things up. This means moving out any furniture or structures. It even includes products that you have out and about. The goal of moving things and clearing things is to see what flood damage has occurred.
This can include damage done to products and furniture but it also includes the physical location. That means the sheetrock on the wall or the new wallpaper that you just put up. Cleaning up also allows the restoration team to come in and start restoring your business space.
Call With Any Questions
Whoever you choose for an insurance broker, feel free to give them a call. If they are a good insurance broker, they should be happy to answer any questions you have. They can help walk you through what you can do before someone arrives. There is a lot more you can do than just waiting for someone to come and assess the damage. A quick call can help you know what to do and what not to do.
Since this is an opportunity for you to use your flood damage insurance feel free to ask about your insurance policy. Your insurance company should be able to pull up the details of your policy. They can answer what is covered and what is not covered. They can also help you decide what is the best to do moving forward to get your space back to normal.
Having flood damage is something that not everyone experiences. If flood damage has not happened to your business, that is great. Keep in mind what you should do if flood damage does happen. Having flood damage insurance can help you have peace of mind if your company’s office or location does flood.
Does your company have flood damage insurance? If not, be sure to contact us at Insurance Professionals of Arizona today. Our insurance brokers can help point you in the right direction with choosing an insurance package.
We’re here to help! Call us today.
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