Inspect, Mitigate & Restore: 3 Stages of Water Damage Repair for Businesses

4/15/2021 (Permalink)

3 Stages of Water Damage Repair for Businesses

When a water-related emergency or disaster strikes your business or facility, time is of the essence. There’s a critical period when business owners and property managers must take action to decrease health effects, preserve their commercial space and minimize lost productivity and revenue. 

Fortunately, the commercial water damage repair and restoration experts at SERVPRO of NW Charlotte, Lincoln County, Southern and NE Gaston County have the experience, equipment and technology to restore your business or property as if the flooding event never happened.

But before our team arrives to assess the damage, minimize future destruction and develop a restoration plan after a significant water emergency, there are several things business owners and property managers can do to help.

First, be sure to shut off the electrical power before entering your flooded commercial space or building. It’s also advisable to wear a mask, rubber gloves, protective clothing and eye protection. Once inside, ventilate the affected areas by opening windows and doors and placing fans where possible. Keeping good airflow throughout the building’s interior and maintaining moderate temperatures helps decrease mold growth risks.

You’ll likely find porous items that have absorbed contaminated floodwater. Those can’t be restored and should be discarded. Also, throw away any drywall, wallpaper, particle board, carpets, carpet pads, or insulation that has become saturated. Fortunately, many fabrics such as clothing, curtains, drapes, linens and towels are salvageable. Detergent and a normal cycle in a washing machine should remove most contaminants or stains.

When SERVPRO technicians arrive at your business or commercial property, their plan will depend on water damage severity. However, the general process will remain the same: Stages focussed on reducing your downtime, restoring your property, settling any claims and getting you back to business.

1. Inspect water damage. Before restoration can begin, our skilled water restoration technicians will thoroughly inspect your property to identify the scope of the damage, contamination levels, and how far the water has traveled. A detailed look at each area of your business affected by a storm or flooding is the first stage in developing an appropriate water damage repair plan to ensure a successful restoration.

2. Mitigate against further damage. After the inspection and damage assessment is complete, technicians will start the crucial next step of preventing the damage from getting worse and securing the affected areas.

This may include:

• boarding up roofs and broken windows;
• covering areas with tarps;
• blocking water-seeping holes;
• removing excess water; 
• identifying and eliminating unpleasant odors; and 
• drying the structure to prevent mold or mildew growth, which can take several days to appear.

3. Restore your business. Once cleanup is complete, the water damage repair and restoration phase can begin. Depending on the severity of the water damage, this may involve removing, repairing or rebuilding roofs and walls, replacing insulation, carpets and floor, drying and sanitizing saturation pockets, painting, and restaging the property and its contents to its previous condition. Completion of this stage means commercial clients can return to their business or property as if the water or storm damage disaster never happened!

Commercial water damage repair and restoration

Locally owned and operated, SERVPRO of NW Charlotte, Lincoln County, Southern and NE Gaston County can respond quickly to a water or flood emergency at your business. And we come armed with all the tools to get it done accurately and efficiently. 

Our commercial restoration and cleaning technicians are employees, not contractors, and can respond 24/7 when a significant flooding event occurs. And if we need additional resources or personnel, we can call upon our national network of 1,700 SERVPRO franchises and disaster recovery teams. To learn more, call us anytime at (704) 393-7890 or request help online.