Differences Between Flood Damage and Other Water Damage

7/31/2021 (Permalink)

3 Differences Between Flood Damage and Other Water Damage

If there is a serious storm in San Diego, CA then you can expect that your commercial building will be affected on some level. Water can come from a variety of sources, and not all of these will cause the same level of trouble. Damage from a flood, for example, differs in the following ways.

1. Contamination Levels
There are three categories of water that you could find yourself dealing with when water damage occurs. Each of these has a different level of contamination. Category 1 is clean; category 2, or gray water, is moderately contaminated; and category 3, or black water, is highly contaminated. Because it picks up debris, sewage and other contaminants from the ground, flood waterfalls under the third category.

2. Cleanup and Repairs
Because of the high level of contamination, it contains, category 3 water needs to be treated differently than the rest. Blackwater should be removed by a professional restoration service that has the necessary equipment and training to handle this type of emergency. Everything that has been affected will need to be thoroughly cleaned and sanitized. Absorbent materials that cannot be cleaned should be replaced.

3. Insurance Coverage
Another important difference between this and other kinds of water damage is insurance coverage. In many cases, your basic insurance does not cover floods. You will need to purchase an additional policy to ensure your business is prepared for this particular situation. If you are in an area where disasters of this nature occur often, you may be required to have additional coverage.
Although it is important to have any kind of water damage addressed as quickly as possible, there are some additional difficulties that can come with a storm. If your business is located in an area where this is likely, you should take precautions to ensure you are prepared for damage involving category 3 water. To keep your building safe, always have restoration of this kind done by a professional.