Charleston Structures Rely on SERVPRO for Water Extraction after Extreme Flooding

6/27/2019 (Permalink)

A Few Vehicles from the SERVPRO Green Fleet--Ready for Flood Damage Restoration in Charleston

Flood Water Removal Actions to Preserve Charleston Homes

With Cooper River and Wappoo Creek to the west and the Harbor everywhere else, Charleston is undoubtedly in what can be called a flood-prone area. Fortunately, those same flood threats also provide some of the finest water recreations on the Southeastern Coast for residents and hundreds of thousands of visitors every year.
 
Charleston flood water removal needs to begin as soon as it is safe to enter the neighborhood. SERVPRO restoration teams train extensively on the latest extraction equipment to preserve as much of each home as possible.
 
They start with commercial grade pumps to remove the majority of the flood water. The inlet hoses are submersible, so technicians can drop them into ankle-deep or higher water to immediately begin operation. Depending on the size of the residence and the number of pumps needed, removal can take anywhere from one to several days.
 
For lower levels of flooding and in smaller rooms, SERVPRO technicians use more compact devices. These extraction wands can be adjusted for vacuum speed and also have a heating element to help begin drying out carpets and floors while removing the water trapped inside the carpet layers and between floorboards.
 
After drying the surfaces, team members then look for more water. In many homes, flood water collects in the sub-floor where it can rot the support structure, weakening and rendering it unsafe for walking. Technicians remove it by lifting a floorboard over the affected area or drilling a hole underneath a section of floor trim where it is normally unseen. Next, they insert a hose attached to a wand or another extraction device.
 
Removing the excess moisture trapped in the wood is important also. Team members complete this task by inserting a hose attached to an air mover and then forcing warm, dry air into the sub-floor. It pushes moisture out of the floor framing, speeding up evaporation. Our technicians can also rig "tents," of plastic sheeting and secured to treated floor area with tape to concentrate the drying stream of the devices. By reducing affected air and materials, we can increase the evaporation rate, thereby also the drying time.
 
Restoring every local home to a dry, safe condition after a flood is always the goal for SERVPRO of Downtown Charleston. If your home, or any area of it, is underwater, call us at (843) 577-2470 today to begin the removal process.

Charleston