Stuff that got wet, what to do?

My insurance company sent out an inspector when I flooded in Norfolk.

I don't know if this is regular practice. However, I don't think I'd throw out anything until you've talked to a person from your insurance company.

Sorry for your lost stuff.

Thx all, ripped up carpets and haven't thrown any big stuff out. It's mostly shoes and toys, nothing if any significant value.

Are you dumb?

Seriously..

Just keep it all until the adjuster comes out. Also take numerous pics and have serial numbers as well if possible.

If the house and all others on the block have been flooded, it won't be too bad an eyesore to have some of the furniture out front as everyone else will be in the same situation...Sheetrock piles, wet furniture, etc.


Good luck and stay strong!

Saw this post by a friend of a friend. It sounds like she knows what she's talking about so I thought I would post it:

In times of disaster and emergency the best and the worst comes out in people. If someone comes up to your driveway and randomly solicits you to provide water extraction, mold remediation, demolition/construction services, etc. you might want to seriously consider telling them to go away because generally the licensed, insured, accredited, good people don't drive around neighborhoods soliciting. Get contracts in writing. Check them out on the Better Business Bureau page. Check them out on Angie's list. These can be trying times; don't accidentally get hosed a second time.

If you evacuate your home try to remember to shut off the breakers before you leave. I have one friend right now whose house is both flooded and burning. I don’t know for certain how the fire started but water and electricity don’t mix. Water and people and electricity don’t mix either.

If you have family/friends who are flooding and don't have flood insurance and you are NOT flooding and you can help them - if you can safely get to a Depot or Lowe's go buy Zinsser mold control primer, Mold Armor mold remover and disinfectant and/or Concrobium mold control, gloves (latex or something water proof), and N95 paper masks. All will be on or around the paint aisle. This isn't as good as a professional mold abatement contractor but it's decent. Do NOT use bleach except to clean; bleach does not kill mold. BLEACH.DOES.NOT.KILL.MOLD. Go now to get it, if you can go safely. The stores will run out. If you cannot get Mold Armor or Concrobium be certain to read the label of other products – “mold stain remover” is not what you need. You need something that says “moldicide/fungicide” or “kills mold on contact” or something like that. You need something that results in Mold Death.

Approximate prices for these items at Home Depot (posted so you guys know if someone is trying to price-gouge):
Zinsser primer ~$45/gal
Mold Armor: ~ $20/gal.
Concrobium: ~$30/gal
N95 masks: ~$30/15. Get the mask w the square valve bc it's easier to breathe. Once the mask is wet throw it away; get another one.

It's better to have a mold abatement contractor abate mold, but if you dont have insurance you may not have that option so there's Plan B. Keep reading; I’ll tell you how to treat.

Once you are able to get back to your house – unplug anything in an outlet that was under water. Remove the faceplate from the outlet and make sure that there is no water inside the outlet box. Leave the faceplate off and let it dry. If you are SURE it’s dry you can probably use the outlet again. The most conservative thing is to replace the outlet; complete electrical rewiring is probably not necessary. When you get power restored – crank UP (down?) your air conditioning bc that will help remove some of the moisture/humidity.

Remove all water-damaged porous items that cannot be washed in a washing machine, including stuffed furniture, rugs, toys, and what not. Remove porous building materials like wood paneling, sheetrock, insulation. Remove impacted building materials 2 feet above the water line. Non porous things should be removed from the building and cleaned with something like Dawn because you don’t know what was in that floodwater. If you remove flooring mop the exposed slab/floor with bleach. Concrete is porous too but except in extreme cases you won’t need to remove a slab….. Porous – fabric, stuffed things, wood, sheetrock, particle board furniture items – anything that’ll absorb water. Nonporous – most plastic, glass, glossy-surfaced ceramic, metal.

If the water recedes and the wet materials are removed pretty quickly the mold may not develop. But treat anyway bc it's easier to treat while the house is being demo'd than to treat later when it's all nice and rebuilt and the mold is in the walls.

TREATMENT ("Plan B"):
Dry everything. Remove porous items. Treat 2x4s with Mold Armor or Concrobium; paint on or spray on. Wipe dry. Repeat 3x. Don’t wipe the last spray; let it dry. Then paint with the Zinsser mold control primer.
Depending upon how long your home was inundated and how long the materials were wet before you were able to remove them you may not need anything else related to mold treatment. If you get to the point where there is visible mold because you couldn’t get back in to demo quickly then contact me because other abatement will need to happen.
Not everyone professing to be a mold abatement contractor, water damage restoration contractor, building contractor IS one/all of those. Check credentials.

INSURANCE
Some insurance companies will deny your claim, or pay you less, if you do NOT take steps to mitigate the damage. Some insurance companies will deny your claim, or pay you less, if you DO take steps to mitigate the damage. So ASK FIRST. And PHOTODOCUMENT LIKE A MAD FIEND. Take pictures of the water in the house if you can. Take picture of the yard. Take pictures of every room and every angle and the ceilings and walls and the contents. Take pictures of everything before you start to remove things, remove walls, sheetrock, etc. Once you remove things or demo, take pictures of everything again. PHOTODOCUMENT LIKE A MAD FIEND.