What Should I Do When There is a Stormwater Intrusion in my Toms River House?

4/20/2020 (Permalink)

It’s spring flooding time in New Jersey. SERVPRO is equipped to restore your storm damaged home.

SERVPRO Helps with Storm Water Extraction in Toms River, and Carries out Other Restoration Steps

Stormwater can find a way into your house in different ways, including breaches on the roof or other openings such as improperly sealed windows. However, rising groundwater causes most incidents involving stormwater in Toms River. The implications of these intrusions can differ depending on factors such as:

• The volume of water involved
• The access points
• The duration the property is submerged or saturated

It is, therefore, crucial to evaluate an incident before taking any steps, whether its cleanup, restoration of the property, or removal of contents.

What factor of stormwater intrusion has the most severe impact?

Each flooding incident is unique. However, the volume of water involved, and the duration the water remains in the house plays a vital role in determining the level of damages. Speeding up stormwater extraction from Toms River properties, therefore, helps minimize the effects the incident might have on your property. Immediate extraction may not always be feasible, so evaluating a situation before taking measures is crucial. Some factors that might delay extraction include:

• The possibility of causing additional damages
• The water outside the structure yet to recede
• Problems finding the right disposal point

Although the removal of storm water from a house helps to prevent damages, it can have the opposite effect. An example of this is pumping out a flooded basement too fast, which can destabilize the foundation walls.

Removing water from the house when the yard and other surrounding areas still flooded may not be feasible since more water would flow back in. Therefore, it is better to wait for the groundwater outside the structure to recede before starting extraction. Our SERVPRO technicians can help you deal with these obstacles in different ways. For example, when pumping out basements, we do it in phases. In case the water is yet to recede, we can take other helpful steps such as moving vulnerable contents from the flooded areas as we wait for the right opportunity to start extraction.

How long is stormwater removal likely to take?

There is no standard timeline for the extraction of water from a flooded house because each case presents different dynamics. However, through the skills gained in training or through experience, our SERVPRO technicians can provide realistic estimates after considering factors such as:

• The size of the property
• The efficiency of the extraction equipment
• The types of contents in the property
• The intrusion points

Apart from a more substantial property having more square feet to hold water, it might also have more rooms, which can delay the removal since each room might require individual attention. Massive contents such as couches or appliances can hamper movement during removal or require relocation, thus delaying the extraction.  

Does SERVPRO expedite the removal process?

One of the reasons you should call SERVPRO to handle stormwater extraction from your Toms River property is to capitalize on our preparedness. The incident at your home may be the first or second, but for our technicians, it is part of what they handle during their routine work. Our teams know the quickest ways to accomplish various tasks and anticipate problems that may crop up during restoration, thus take steps to avoid them, eliminating unnecessary delays.

We equip our crews with a variety of extraction equipment to handle any water extraction challenges, including high volumes of water or extraction from hidden sections within the property. Some of the standard equipment in our production trucks includes truck-mounted water extractors and specialized cavity extractors such as injectidry systems.

In certain events, there is a need to open the structure to reach the water from hidden cavities or remove construction materials damaged by flooding. Our technicians make flood cuts, punch vent holes on walls, and drill weep-holes on ceilings to release trapped water faster. Such steps speed up the overall extraction process by improving access to the water or creating room to use extraction equipment better. 

What other steps help deal with flooding?

After removing all standing water, there is a need to clean up soiled areas and dry moisture to restore the property to its preloss state. Cleaning is also crucial to remove contaminants, especially when a flooding incident in Toms River involves groundwater intrusion. At the same time, drying helps prevent secondary issues such as mold, bad odor, and other forms of material deterioration such as warping and rotting of wood.

SERVPRO of Toms River is Faster to Any Size Disaster, located to help you extract water from your Berkeley Township, Beachwood, and South Toms River home. Call us at (732) 349-9898 any time you need help.