Your home is not resistant to water damage. In the United States, water damage due to floods is among the leading costly hazards. The most recognizable causes of floods are hurricanes, tropical storms, thunderstorms, and excessive snow and rain. However, clogged or overburdened sewage or drainage systems, among others, can also cause flooding.
When floods occur, it usually puts thousands of residents displaced for a long time. The same is true for many businesses that are affected by the same catastrophe. It could even shutter businesses for weeks or months. In some cases, a company doesn't recover from the damage at all.
Below are some of the ways that floods can affect your business or home:
Property damage
Water damage caused by floods makes up 90% of the damage associated with natural disasters. When it comes to water damage, nothing is immune, including your equipment, vehicles, business, belongings, and even your home. Significant damage could happen to your property even with only a few inches of floodwater.
When your property receives severe damage, click to read about flood damage restoration. It will help you determine the steps you should take to salvage your home or business from further damage.
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Health and safety risks
When left ignored, water damage due to flooding can expose you, your family, your employees, or your business to a wide array of risks. These include:
- Sharp metals and glasses
- Structural damage
- Cut off communications
- Damaged crops
- Electrical risks and damage
- Destruction of road and bridge
- Defunct sewage and drainage systems
- Contaminated water
- Diseases and sanitary hazards from standing water
- Landslides
Economic loss
Some insurance companies and policies don't cover water damage due to flooding. This can put a huge burden on you financially. In the U.S., damage due to flooding costs over $1 billion worth of crop and property damage only in 2020. Since it might take years to rebuild affected communities, ensure that your business or home insurance covers flood damage.
Emotional hardship
Victims of flood damage may struggle to adapt to their situation. They often experience fear, anxiety, depression, sadness, and frustration, among other emotions. These emotions could risk the victim's health due to trouble sleeping, reduced appetite, and more. For this reason, any flood-related disaster response team includes mental health professionals.
Emotional hardship could affect a person's quality of life. It could also become a problem for your business.
Loss of life
It is the most hurtful impact of flood damage that your home or business could go through. The leading weather-related cause of casualty in the U.S. is flash floods. This catastrophe claims people's lives and wild animals, pets, and livestock.
Conclusion
In closing, your business or home could suffer from more severe damage if you delay cleanup and repair. So, make sure to make a move right away to ensure that no further damage will happen. It’s also best to ask professionals to help with the cleanup and repair as they follow standard procedures and know what to do.
