What to Do After Wind, Storm, or Flood Damage

When your home or business is damaged by a storm, flood, or severe winds, it can be extremely traumatic. It’s common to feel overwhelmed in the aftermath of the destruction caused to your property, making it difficult to know what to do. There are several important steps to take after wind, storm, or flood damage that will have a significant impact on your ability to restore your property to normal as quickly as possible. Knowing the right actions to take will help you minimize damage and facilitate a smoother storm damage restoration process.

Prioritize Safety

The destruction caused by wind, storm, and flood damage can create a variety of serious safety hazards. Downed power lines, roof damage, gas line problems, broken windows, collapsed walls, and water damage from flooding can be very dangerous, resulting in significant injury risks. Therefore, the first thing you should always do is make sure everyone in the building is safe and unharmed. If someone has suffered a serious injury, request emergency medical attention at once.

In addition, be on the lookout for the following safety hazards while you’re on the property:

• Broken glass
• Exposed nails and sharp objects
• Displaced building materials such as screws
• Unsecured piles of debris

If the damage to your property is severe, you may need to consider temporarily evacuating to a safer location. This is especially important if you’ve suffered significant roof damage.

Contact Your Insurance Company

After taking photos and accurately documenting all the damage to your property, contact your insurance company to report the incident and file a claim. Your insurance agent will walk you through the entire claims process and provide you with a list of emergency service providers, such as Cousino Restoration & Environmental, who can help you restore your home or business as quickly as possible.

Once you’ve filed your claim, the insurance company will send a claims adjuster to your home or business to assess the damage. Make sure you’re present when the adjuster visits your property to discuss any issues and ensure the claim estimate is as accurate as possible.

Contact a Professional Restoration Company

At this point, you should contact a storm damage restoration company to begin the repair process. It’s critical to take this step right away to prevent additional damage to your property. At Cousino Restoration & Environmental, we provide emergency 24/7 assistance and can send a team of wind and storm damage restoration experts right away to ensure your property is secure.

As part of our 24/7 emergency services, our team will make temporary repairs to secure any broken windows or doors, and to cover damaged roofs and siding. If any flooding has occurred, we’ll begin the water damage restoration process at once to prevent any additional damage, including mold growth. Once your property is secure, we’ll work with you to begin any repairs necessary to restore your home or business to its pre-loss condition as quickly as possible.

Assess and Document the Damage to Your Property

Once you’ve contacted your insurance company and chosen a professional restoration company to work with, you should assess and document all damage to your home or business. Walk through and around the property and take detailed notes and photos of all damage that has occurred. This process is important and will help you provide the necessary evidence to your insurance company when you file a claim.

When inspecting the property, be on the lookout for:

• Leaks or holes in the roof caused by broken, loose, or missing shingles, vents and gutters
• Missing or damaged exterior siding caused by strong winds or heavy rain
• Granules collecting in gutters or downspouts
• Broken windows and doors
• Dents in gutters, vents, or flashing
• Damaged floors
• Flooding of any kind
• Water damage
• Fire damage caused by electrical short circuits from downed power lines or water entering electrical outlets
• Broken or damaged furniture and appliances, typically due to water damage
• Damage of personal items

Always exercise extreme caution when performing this inspection since your property may have sustained structural damage. Keep the following safety tips in mind to avoid injury while assessing the damage to your home or business:

• Assume that downed power lines are energized and dangerous, and stay at least 10 feet away as a precaution
• Avoid standing water, especially near downed power lines
• If possible, avoid assessing the damage to your property after dark and if you must perform this task at night, use a flashlight instead of a flame (candle, lighter) to avoid the risk of an explosion from a damaged gas line
• If you smell gas or suspect you have a leak, shut off the main gas line, open the windows, evacuate the property and notify the gas company immediately

When you work with Cousino Restoration & Environmental, we can assist with this process. When our storm damage restoration experts arrive, they will provide you with detailed instructions on how to properly document all damage. In addition, we’ll use our encircle documentation system to aid in this process and ensure you get the most out of your claim.

Cousino Restoration & Environmental Can Help After Wind, Storm, and Flood Damage

If you’ve suffered wind, storm, or flood damage, Cousino Restoration & Environmental is here to help. We’ve been the leading provider of wind and storm damage restoration services in Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan for over 45 years. Our team is ready to assist you 24/7 and will arrive fully prepared to begin the restoration process immediately. No matter the size of the property or the scope of the damage, we can handle it.

The damage caused by wind, storms, and floods can be devastating. It’s critical that you have all repairs performed by a professional restoration company who can ensure this work is done properly. In most instances, your insurance will cover the restoration work, making it an easy decision to have these services performed by a professional. When you work with Cousino Restoration & Environmental, you’ll have the peace of mind that comes with having these important repairs performed by highly trained experts with decades of experience.

Contact us to schedule an appointment. Cousino Restoration & Environmental serves customers in Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan.