The Homeowner's Guide To Safety And Inspections After Storms Have Caused Serious Damage To Homes

5 May 2020
 Categories: , Blog


If your home has recently been damaged by a storm, you will want to begin repairs quickly, but this can sometimes be dangerous. Therefore, you want to know the hazards and how you can stay safe when you begin assessing the damage and prepare for restoration work to be done. The following guide will help you safely inspect your home when severe weather has caused serious damage:

Look For Structural Damage And Debris Hazards That Need Emergency Care

The first step in safety when your home has been damaged during severe weather is to ensure there is no structural damage. Make sure your family is safe and look for problems like trees falling or other debris that has caused damage. In addition, look for walls that have been moved or other structural failures. If your home has serious structural failures, you will want to keep your family away until the storm damage repairs are done and the structural problems are fixed.

Make Sure Utilities Are Off 

Utilities can be the most serious hazards when your home has been damaged during severe weather. The first thing that you will want to check is damage to utility lines, which should be repaired by the utility company. You will also want to check for gas leaks that can be a hazard during storm damage restorations. When inspecting the damage and doing work, make sure that the electricity, gas, and water are turned off to ensure you do not have problems while work is being done.

Wear Appropriate Safety Gear To Prevent Injury And Health Hazards 

Lastly, you want to make sure you have the appropriate safety gear to do inspections and start the cleaning for restorations to be done. Some of the safety gear that you will need include:

  • Rubber boots for water
  • Safety glasses
  • Work gloves
  • Disposable suit if you're working around contamination
  • Respirator mask
  • Fiberglass extension ladder

This is some of the safety gear you may need to safely do inspections and begin cleaning up the mess after a storm. You may want a hard hat and steel-toed safety boots if there are heavy debris and structural damage.

Be Aware Of Chemicals, Sewage, And Mold That Often Contaminate Your Home With Storm Damage and Water

There can be a lot of contamination that comes into your home with storms. This can be due to flooding, moisture, and problems with the plumbing. Some of the hazardous contamination that you should be aware of includes:

  • Chemicals (both domestic and industrial if there has been flooding)
  • Raw sewage in floodwaters or due to plumbing
  • Mold spores that grow when moisture is present

Gases and fuels due to damaged utility services or mechanical installations

These are some of the main causes of contamination when dealing with storm damage, and you will want to call for professional storm damage restoration help to clean them up.

These are some of the things that you should know about safety when inspecting the storm damage to your home before beginning restorations. If your home has been severely damaged during recent weather, contact a storm damage restoration service for help with repairs and getting your home back to normal.


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