Water extraction, moisture mapping and drying for Suffolk homes hit by a storm that brought more water than forecast.
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Storm impact cleanup is the work of removing and drying water that a storm has left in a building, when the rain, the river and the streets have all contributed. Suffolk Water Damage Restoration connects callers with a local crew, sent as soon as one is free, to extract the water, map the moisture across the structure and dry it to measured targets. Phones are answered 24/7.
Hampton Roads felt more impact from Hurricane Matthew than the forecast had expected. The storm was forecast to bring two to four inches of rain to Suffolk, and in practice the water arrived in more places and in greater amounts than that figure suggested. That is a lesson for any storm cleanup: a forecast tells you about the rain, but it does not tell you how much of that rain will reach your house, or by which route.
Storm impact in Suffolk can come from several sources at once. The Nansemond River can rise, creeks can run high, streets can flood and drains can back up, while rain falls on the roof and the walls. A house that takes water from more than one source needs a cleanup that reads the whole building, not just the first wet room a homeowner notices. The crew begins with the question of where the water has come from.
Suffolk Water Damage Restoration sends a local crew to respond to storm calls. The crew takes out standing water, reads the structure from the lowest point up and sets drying to measured targets. Calls come in at the same time from many streets, so the crew is sent as soon as one is free, and no arrival time is promised. The steps below describe what a storm cleanup involves.
Do not enter a building with standing water, damaged structure or a smell of gas until it has been checked. Keep away from downed power lines and from debris in the water, and do not run generators indoors. Do not use electrical equipment that has been wet until a technician has confirmed it is safe, and keep children and pets away from storm debris.
The technician walks the outside of the house first, looking for entry points and damage, then goes inside from the lowest level up. The sources of water are recorded: the street, the ground, the roof, the windows or the drains. Each source tells the crew where to start reading.
Water on the floor is extracted with pumps and wet vacuums, starting in the lowest rooms and moving water away from the house. Debris and silt are cleared, and the crew checks the path of the water so none of it is carried into rooms that are still dry.
Moisture meters are used across the walls, the ceilings, the subfloors and the crawl space, at several heights. Storm impact often reaches more places than a single leak, and the readings show every area that is still holding water, not only the most obvious one.
Equipment is set in each affected room to dry the materials to their own targets. The crew adjusts the equipment as the readings change and reports the progress at each visit. Materials that cannot be dried are described and approved before they are removed.
The technician keeps a log with photographs, readings and the sources identified. These records are given to the homeowner for the insurer, and they show the extent of the water by source and by room, which is often what a claim turns on.
A forecast gives a rainfall total for an area, but it cannot say how much of that rain will run off, soak in or find a path into a particular house. Drains that are full, saturated ground and wind-driven rain all change how much water reaches the building.
In Matthew, the forecast expected two to four inches of rain across Suffolk, and Hampton Roads felt more impact than that forecast had suggested. A rainfall estimate is an average over a large area, and a single house can take more water than the average, depending on its ground and its drains.
For a homeowner, the lesson is to plan for more water than the forecast gives. A cleanup that is measured by the readings, and not by the forecast, is the more reliable guide to how much water a building has taken and how long the drying will need.
The technician identifies each source, then works from the lowest and wettest area toward the highest and driest. Each source has its own entry point, and the drying plan covers every route the water has taken into the building.
A house that took river water through a door and rain through a roof needs two sets of checks, one at the ground level and one at the top of the walls. The crew treats the two as separate problems and then reads how they connect, such as where the rain has run down a wall to meet the flood line.
The plan is written down so the homeowner can see each source and each area. If a source is later found to be a leak inside the house rather than storm water, the plan is changed and the insurer is told.
Photograph the outside of the house, the water lines and the damage inside before anything is moved, and write down the times the water appeared and receded. Keep the crew's log, readings and photographs together.
Storm damage is often disputed in a claim, because the water is hard to date and its source is hard to prove. Clear photographs with dates and short notes help to show what happened and when, and they support the crew's own record.
Keep receipts for any emergency measures, such as boards, tarps or a pump you hired, and note the times they were used. The insurer may ask for them, and they make the claim easier to settle.
A storm cleanup is measured by the readings and not by a set number of days. A house with water in several areas can take longer to dry than one with a single wet room, and the timing depends on the materials and the air.
The extraction stage can be short, but drying takes longer because moisture leaves materials slowly. The readings show the progress, and the crew explains when each area is expected to reach its target.
Storm calls can arrive at the same time from many streets, and the crew may not reach every address as soon as the homeowner would like. A technician is sent as soon as one is free, and the arrival time is not promised over the phone.
Storm water can expose damage that was already present, such as a weak roof, a failing sump or a slow leak. The crew reports what it finds and recommends the trade that should look at it. The homeowner decides what to repair.
A storm can make a small problem visible, because the water finds the weak point. A roofer, a plumber or a contractor may be needed to repair what the storm exposed, and the crew can give each one the readings and photographs.
The crew does not repair the structure as part of the drying. Its report says what is wet, what was removed and what should be inspected, so the homeowner can decide on the next step with clear information.
Rain that enters the house through damaged roofing, siding or windows can soak the walls and ceilings above the rooms it reaches. The water may show first on an upper wall. The crew reads the wall heights and the attic, and it notes the entry point for the roofer.
Water that enters at the ground level through a door, a garage or a foundation opening affects the floor and the lower walls first. The crew reads the subfloor and the crawl space as well as the rooms, because the water often moves underneath the floor.
A storm that cuts power leaves wet rooms without the ventilation and heat that normally help them dry. The crew sets its equipment to work without the house's systems, and the electrical checks are made before any equipment runs in a wet area.
A house that takes water in one storm and then again in the next can have materials that never fully dried. The crew reads the building from the start and compares the new readings with the earlier ones, so the drying plan reflects the whole history of the water.
Suffolk sits within Hampton Roads, a region where storm water can arrive from the rivers, the streets and the drains at the same time. A house in the city may take rain from the roof, water from the street and water from the ground in one storm, and the cleanup has to read each of these.
The Nansemond River runs through Suffolk and can rise during a storm, while creeks in the city can run high after heavy rain. A storm cleanup in this city often has to account for water from both the river and the creeks, as well as from the drains that carry them.
Matthew in October 2016 showed the region how far storm water can reach. The homes on Gates Road and the creek that swept a car away downtown are reminders that a storm can bring water to places that do not usually see it. Every storm call gets the same readings and the same care, whatever the source.
A crew is dispatched as fast as one is available, and you approve the estimate before any work starts.
Not sure if you're covered? Check your ZIP code.
Extraction, moisture mapping and drying for Suffolk homes flooded by a hurricane or a tropical storm.
Attic and ceiling drying after storm rain comes through damaged shingles, flashing or roof edges in a Suffolk home.
Water extraction and drying for Suffolk homes that flooded even though the flood map did not show them at risk.
Measured drying of walls, floors and framing with air movers and dehumidifiers, checked against moisture readings.
A water damage restoration quote in Suffolk is set by the source and category of the water, how far it reached, which materials must be removed, how hard the building is to reach and how long drying takes.
Hurricane Matthew in October 2016 flooded homes across Virginia, and many of the roughly 2,000 homes flooded statewide were outside the mapped floodplain, according to Virginia Emergency Management.
Not while conditions are dangerous. Stay indoors away from windows until the storm has passed and the area is safe. Call the line once it is safe, and a crew is sent as soon as one is free. No arrival time is promised.
Forecasts give an average for an area, and a single house can take more water than the average, depending on its ground, drains and roof. The crew reads the house to find where the water came from, which is more useful than the forecast in finding the cause.
The crew dries the building and reports the roof and drain damage it sees. Repairs to the roof, the drains and the foundation are done by the appropriate trade, and the crew can help you find one.
It depends on the rooms affected and the work needed. The crew tells you which rooms are unusable and for how long, and it explains how the equipment will affect the house. Ask for the plan before deciding.
That depends on the policy and on the source of the water. Storm wind damage and rain through an opening made by wind are often treated differently from flood water. Read your policy and ask your insurer directly, and keep the photographs and readings.
Water reaches each house by its own route, depending on the ground, the drains, the roof and the openings. A dry neighbor does not mean your house is dry. The readings are the only reliable measure of what is held in your own building.