Basements are the most common parts of homes that become flooded. This is because they sit below the ground surface, which makes them the perfect place for water to dwell. If water gets trapped, it's going to go for the first nook, cranny, or crack that they can find. After a while, basements settle and spaces form between bricks. The water finds these spaces and that's how flood damage occurs within basements.



The idea is to try to find all of those cracks and crevices and fill them in so that flood damage doesn't occur within basements. However, it is sometimes impossible to find them all. But does this mean that every basement is required to experience flood damage at some point during its existence? Not actually. There are plenty of structures that have basements that stay dry throughout the life of the home. It is a construction thing. Sometimes it is just a hit and miss thing. Other times it has something to do with pipes that freeze and then break.

If flood damage occurs in your basement, talk to your insurance company at once. The truth is that insurance companies are not a hundred percent up front about flood damage. Here's an example: If you get flood damage because the sub-pump in your basement cannot handle the water that is considered a flood. This is only covered by flood insurance. However, if your sub-pump is no longer working and you need a new one, this is not considered flood damage and your flood insurance won't cover it. Even if you have cracks and seepage comes through, that isn't covered by flood damage either.

This is basically saying that you need to talk to your insurance company about what your insurance covers and what it doesn't when it comes to flood damage in your basement. That can be an entirely different entity from flooding on the first floor of your home or business. Keep in mind that flood insurance won't cover mold damage caused by flood damage. They consider this secondary damage and they won't pay for it. Luckily, first response companies respond by flood damage by performing what is called mitigation. This is to prevent secondary damage from occurring. So make sure you contact these individuals when flood damage occurs. They will do everything they can from setting up dehumidifiers, extracting water from the carpet, and so much more. Being that there's only two ways to remove water from carpet - extraction and dehumidacation - they have the tools needed to do this.

This needs to be your first move when encountering flood damage in your basement. Whether your basement is carpeted or not, all measures need to be taken to make sure mold growth does not occur. Mold growth from flood damage can be vicious, so it is important to get it under control as soon as possible. After mitigation, you can eradicate the rest of the flood damage through a company certified to clean such environment.