Natural Disasters Happen Beyond Our Control

So, when you first call to report the damage, inform your insurance company that you will document the damage with pictures, but you will try to minimize the damage by doing what you can in terms of clean up. Homes damaged by fire that received the visit of the fire department will usually develop a lot of mold, but it affects one home at a time. Water will permeate the insulation and soak the ceiling. If the carpet has been flooded, the carpet should be immediately removed and put outside the home, and kept as evidence for your insurance adjuster.The worst that can happen to a home during a hurricane comes from the roof.Water will take the path of least resistance and run down into the wall cavities. Mold grows when three things are present - food (organic material, such as wood, drywall, etc. Tens or hundreds or thousands of homeowners are waiting, like you, for their insurance adjuster. Over time the water will wick up the walls where mold will start growing. It is up to us to take matters into our own hands immediately after the hurricane, while documenting the damage and keeping the evidence outside the home. Once shingles are blown off, or worse a piece of the roof is blown off, water can freely pour into homes destroying ceilings and running down into wall cavities and into rooms. An RH above 60% promotes mold growth. For homeowners with tile flooring, the conditions are a little better. One of the greatest mistake people make following water damage is to wait for their adjuster to come without disturbing anything to preserve the evidence.. Unfortunately, one is powerless against natural disasters but we can minimize water damage and mold following water intrusion by not waiting for the insurance adjuster. Since hurricanes happen during summer months, the humidity found in the southern states is quite high.To illustrate why a wet carpet should be removed, let us look at what is happening when the roof has been compromised:Let us start with the attic. During hurricanes wind driven rain defies gravity and can enter homes in ways never thought possible.Note that it is not unusual when a hurricane hits to have the power cut off for weeks before the power is restored. However, hurricanes bring about the worse mold conditions for a great number of people. For details on how to handle large water intrusion, you may want to read our book: Mold Matters - Solutions and Prevention. The insulation will keep things moist for a long period of time, during which time mold will start growing, or if enough water comes in, the ceiling may collapse with the excess weight. Depending on the amount of water that enters, the damage may not be immediately evident to homeowners because of furniture in the way and personal effects hiding damage evidence.Homeowners should take matters into their own hands and not wait for their insurance adjuster to come and evaluate the damage. Water is the determining factor and the only thing we can control.Natural disasters happen beyond our control but there are things homeowners can do to minimize damage. Homes are built with the notion that rain comes from above - straight down. They will be able to sponge off water and the material will have a chance to dry much faster than if carpet was present. Without power, homeowners are unable to run their air conditioning system, thus the relative humidity inside a water-damaged home is at least and usually greater than the outside relative humidity. On a 90°F summer day, relative humidity can.