Flood Water Damage, Damp Walls, And Wet Carpet

You were afraid to go home. You were afraid to see your house. You knew the flood waters had been there. You did not know what to expect. You did not know how you would feel when you saw the devastation. It was worse than anything you have ever imagined.

Flood water damage.

The water was 2 1/2 feet deep in the living room. You can tell because of the mark on the wall. The bedrooms are okay, they were on the second floor. Everything in the living room, dining room, kitchen and bathroom is gone. You did not have time to move anything. You were not allowed to come back in time to save anything before the mold took over. It is all gone. Even the photo albums and books that were up high are probably not going be able to be saved. You can salvage your hard stuff like dishes, pots and pans, silverware and knickknacks. Any paper product or material is going to have to be discarded. That means all the furniture, all the food.  The refrigerator was full of food as well as what you had in the pantry.

The walls have a watermark two and a half feet high. The insurance adjuster said all inside stuff has to be torn out, drywall, insulation, right down to the bare wood. You may even have to tear off the outside siding and replace the underlayment there. The insurance adjuster thought that the wood frame of the house would be okay if was treated for mold. There are professional companies that come in and do a complete mold treatment. The insurance adjuster is hoping the damage is just to the downstairs. They will not know until they tear out the walls if the damage extended to the second floor. If that happens your bedrooms have to be torn apart also.  There is so much flood water damage.

Of course all the flooring has to be removed including a new carpet you install last month. With treatment the subfloor should be fine except in the kitchen and bathroom. These have particle board which has warped. The cabinets have to be torn down anyway because of the water damage, so replacing the subfloor in the kitchen will not be much additional work.  Everything will have to be removed from the bathroom for a new subfloor, thanks to the floodwater damage.

Every day you work on the house brings you new tears. As you are cleaning and throwing things out, you keep finding treasures ruined beyond redemption. It would have been so much easier if a fire swept through the house and destroyed everything. This way you keep searching and hoping to find something that you can salvage from your old life.

Maybe when everything is out of the house and you can start rebuilding, it will be easier. For now you are in mourning for what was. You have not started to rejoice for what will be.