Flooded Warehouse? Here Are 6 Essential Steps to Recovery

A flooded warehouse can stop business in its tracks. You’re looking at soaked inventory and wet equipment. Receiving and delivering critical goods becomes a logistical nightmare.

Between the flooded warehouse and a wrecked schedule, you need a plan. As Chicago’s leading restoration company, we can help. Based on our experience handling commercial water damage and cleanup, we’ve developed these guidelines for recovering from a warehouse flood.

How to Deal With a Flooded Warehouse

The causes of warehouse flooding range from broken fire sprinklers to frozen burst pipes. The facility’s plumbing network moves vast amounts of water, so any breakdown in the system can result in building-wide flooding. Natural storm flooding is always a concern too.

^{The damage caused by flooding can quickly worse and cause extensive property damage}.

Regardless of the cause, you need to deal with a flooded warehouse by taking immediate action.

1. Turn Off Building Utilities

First, turn off the building’s electricity. This eliminates electrocution hazards posed by wet warehouse floors and soaked office carpets. Follow up by shutting down the water supply.

2. Call Your Insurance Carrier

Contact your insurance carrier with as many details as possible. You may not know the exact cause or extent of flood damages right away, but you want to jump-start the claims process.

3. Call an Experienced Restoration Company

Water damage sets in quickly after flooding, so you need an experienced restoration company on the scene immediately. It’s important to bring in a restoration contractor who specializes in warehouse flood damage cleanup.

^{Sewage backup in a Chicago warehouse we recently cleaned and restored.}

4. Start Documenting the Damage

Documenting flood damage in a warehouse can be a big task. Assign several employees to different areas of the facility, and have them take pictures of water-damaged interiors, inventory and equipment. Consolidate and save the documentation so that you can share it with your insurer.

5. Clear Out What You Can

If possible, relocate inventory and equipment that isn’t water-damaged. Leave damaged things in place so that the insurance adjuster can clearly see the extent of your losses. Talk with your restoration teams about salvaging important paperwork and electronics.

6. Expect Restoration to Take Time

Warehouse flood cleanup involves water damage mitigation, structural drying and building-wide cleaning and sanitizing. Mold remediation is also a part of the process. You may need to make contingency plans for doing business until the restoration job is complete.

How to Protect Your Warehouse From Flooding

As a warehouse owner or facility manager, you do all you can to keep the property in top shape. While you can’t head off flooding mishaps, you can minimize warehouse flood cleanup and restoration with these protective strategies.

• Identify vulnerable warehouse areas, and concentrate on water-proofing these sections first.

• Install non-return valves on water supply lines and sewer lines throughout the building.

• Consider dry floodproofing areas that might be prone to water damage from natural floods or plumbing failures.

• Seal and damp-proof concrete floors and walls throughout the warehouse and office areas.

• Make routine inspections for signs of potential water damage in areas that are otherwise unoccupied for several days.

Why Professional Restoration Is Important

^{Our flood restoration technicians sanitizing equipment in between water damage jobs.}

Warehouse flood cleanup belongs in the hands of restoration professionals. They know how to clean a flooded warehouse quickly and efficiently. These are just a few of the special services that get your operations up and running.

• Immediate water extraction, water damage mitigation and flood cleanup
• Building-wide warehouse disinfecting after a flood involving contaminated water
• Structural drying and deodorizing throughout the property
• Water-damaged material tear-outs and replacements
• Certified mold removal and remediation services
• Assistance with processing your water damage insurance claim

Dealing With a Flooded Warehouse in Chicago, IL? We Can Help

A flooded warehouse slows down operations and hurts business. You have to get the facility open and running as soon as possible. ServiceMaster Restoration by Zaba makes it happen.

Whether it’s the result of a plumbing failure, sewage backup or heavy rain, our teams restore your warehouse to its pre-loss condition. We specialize in warehouse flood damage cleanup for Chicago businesses, and we cover the suburbs too.

Don’t let a flooded warehouse overwhelm your operations. We’re here 24/7 ready to answer your call: 773-647-1985

Can water in a warehouse flood be dangerous?

Yes. Category 3 black water is highly contaminated with dangerous pathogens. Sewage backups and storm flooding are the most common sources of this type of water.

Can you restore paper records after a warehouse flood?

In many instances, yes. Specialized products and drying techniques are often successful in restoring important business papers and records.

How long does it take a warehouse to dry after a flood?

It depends on the square footage and location of affected areas. Contained spaces can be dried in a few days. An entire facility might take a week or longer to completely dry.

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