Flooding, extending from the Midwestern states to the east coast of the U.S., has caused unforeseen devastation and cleanup costs. States affected by floodwaters include Iowa, Delaware, Virginia, Kentucky, Maryland, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana and more. The causes of the floods are due to severe thunderstorms in the north and along the Atlantic Coast that filled rivers and lakes, and Tropical Depression Bonnie, which brewed in the Gulf of Mexico, according to Reuters.
Clean-Up Tips
Now that the storms are gone, residents in the flood-damaged states are left to clean the devastation in extreme heat. To those cleaning up after the aftermath of the natural disasters, consider the following tips:
Take pictures of all the damage to your property and write notes about it on a piece of paper. When individuals are stressed-out important information can easily slip their memory, and this type of documentation is helpful when making a claim with an insurance company or are seeking remediation assistance.
Use water cautiously. While water from wells may be okay for bathing in, only drink bottled water or water you boiled.
Start cleaning flood-damaged items as soon as you know it is safe to do so. Heat and moisture are the perfect breeding grounds for mold. Mold can grow in as little as three days, so it is to one’s advantage to act quickly, especially when it comes to wet documents, wet books and photographs. This is something business owners need to act quickly on so they can get back in business ASAP.
See if FEMA has declared a disaster in your area. Checkout their mobile site, m.fema.gov, and apply for disaster aid on your Smartphone.
Call in the experts. The assistance of a disaster restoration company can help you make sure your wet items are completely dry and mold-free so you do not have reoccurring mold problems and damage in the future.
While storms are scary and the aftermath is stressful, you have the power get your life back to normal quickly when you clean the water damage correctly. Learn more about what to do after a flood.
Missouri and Illinois are not unaccustomed to having parts of the state flood when the waters rise in the spring or summer. But recent floods have been baffling scientists as rivers crest and spill water into places that are typically dry this time of year.
Record rainfall was recorded for the month of October as rivers rose and flash floods invaded vulnerable areas. This event was called a monsoon by meteorologists. The waters that caused recent floods are not at the levels as devastating floods in the past had risen to, but the problem being caused by the waters is that they are flooding farmlands vital to the economy.
“The most significant flooding along the Mississippi was expected to be at Cape Girardeau in the southern part of Missouri. The weather service expects the river to crest 9 feet above flood stage on Wednesday. The community is protected by a flood wall, and no significant problems are expected.”
Last week parts of Oregon had declared a state of emergency because of heavier-than-expected snowfall. This week parts of the state are dealing with the aftermath now that the temperatures have warmed up and turned the snowfall into rain.
The rivers are at flood-stage in the coastal areas and geologists are warning there may be landslides due to the weight of the melting snow. The Oregonian reports: “On Thursday, rain was falling at the rate of one-half inch an hour (in Tillamook County), and a second storm was expected to push through later in the evening…The Oregon Department of Transportation reported that water up to 16 inches deep closed Oregon 22 (Three Rivers Highway) about four miles west of the junction with Oregon 18 (Salmon River Highway)…The county opened a shelter at the Tillamook County Fairgrounds and activated its reverse 9-1-1 system to warn residents and businesses in flood areas to evacuate.”
Clackamas County in the Portland-Metro area has also declared a state of emergency. Mobile home parks and various neighborhoods have been evacuated and authorities have closed some roads. According to The Oregonian: “(Clackamas) County has closed about 60 roads. That includes the following due to landslides: U.S. 26, west of Sleepy Hollow; Oregon 224, near Tong Road; Welches Road, about a half mile north of Salmon River and Clackamas River Drive, between house numbers 13405 and 15077.” Residents are encouraged to stay home and not travel unnecessarily. One home has already been severely damaged from a landslide that injured five people.
Much of the southern United States got more than a little wet today when 6-8 inches of rain poured down. Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia and Florida were the states majorly affected, but Alabama, Georgia, and Florida were the hardest hit.
Many roads and homes in low areas got flooded. The National Weather Service states that some of the rivers affected will remain flooded into next week. Flood watches are in effect for the eastern part of the United States from Florida up to parts of New England.
Business in this area can contact a flood recovery companythat can help them get back up and running if they have been affected by the flooding.
Hundreds of people were evacuated earlier this week when storm predictions threaten areas recently burned by the fires. Residents were evacuated because of fears of major flooding.
Gillian Flaccus with the Associated Press reported:
“Without significant damage, the wet weather was a welcome change from a long siege of temperatures in the 80s and 90s with skin-withering dry Santa Ana winds that fanned destructive wildfires around Southern California. About 1,000 homes were damaged or destroyed fires this month.”
Thankfully, these residents were able to return homes in time for the Thanksgiving holiday.
