Professionals in Carol Stream Talk About Floodwater Contaminants

3/10/2020 (Permalink)

Floodwaters contain contaminants. SERVPRO knows how safely remove the water and dry your home.

After the Storm: Flood Damage Contamination Interventions in Carol Stream 

As warmer weather nears, residents in Carol Stream are always alert for weather patterns that could expose a property to flooding. DuPage County monitors rising river levels during the snowmelt and spring rains. Armstrong Park Reservoirs in our community are called on duty during potential high water as part of an integrated multi-town and city plan. If your home suffers from flooding despite the best proactive program, we can help. 

Torrents Not Showers 

Extreme weather is everywhere in the news, and flood damage in Carol Spring can happen when spring showers become downpours that cause flash flooding. As the water collects curbside and finds no room in overtaxed sanitary sewer systems, roads and streets become rivers, sweeping debris, salts, and landscaping chemicals into homes. The inability of the nearby sewers to drain can push human waste with a broad range of potential pathogens into your home during flooding. The impossibility of precisely determining what the floodwaters carry into your basement or walk-out lower level mean we must treat flooding as Category 3 or highly-contaminated fluid. 

Contain and Release According to Local Regulation

SERVPRO keeps current on hazardous waste disposal regulations, which includes Category 3 water. Partnering with our team means we can assure you that we take all necessary precautions while collecting and then discarding contaminated floodwaters. Our crews extract the tainted waters into tanks and make sure the workspace is partitioned off with six mil polyethylene to reduce the spread of hazards that can become airborne. Operating a negative pressure air scrubber in the partition helps seal the perimeter and forces airborne contaminants through HEPA filter before exhausting outside.    

Detect, Disinfect, and Dry Out 

As we work on pumping and extracting the floodwater, SERVPRO employees use infrared imaging and moisture detectors and meters to locate and measure the water that seeped into cracks or absorbed into building materials. We use strategies to release the trapped water, such as flood cuts or holes drilled in even the mortar joints between cinder blocks. EPA-registered cleaners and disinfectants clear pathogens and soiling off surfaces, resulting in a clean and sanitary space. Our technicians then dry using air movers, heater, and dehumidifiers then complete, with our technicians monitoring progress by comparing initial data to subsequent moisture level readings. 

The professionals at SERVPRO of Carol Stream / East Bloomingdale are standing ready to help with this spring’s flooding. Call (630) 830-6236 to schedule an assessment. 

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