Atlanta Water Damage Restoration

How can a dehumidifier prevent mold from spreading in your basement?
Since mold requires a damp , moist environment to grow and thrive what better way then than to use a dehumidifier. If you live in Atlanta and have moisture problems in your crawl space or basement you might want to seriously consider installing a dehumidifier.

Now while using a dehumidifier may help, it is only one part of a total Atlanta mold removal solution.

How does a dehumidifier work? Read more

One of the easiest ways to avoid Atlanta water damage is to clean your gutters on a regular basis.

What is black, slimey and quietly damaging your homes foundation while you read this? I’ll give you another hint…  It is also a breeding ground for mosquitoes, termites and mice. Have you guessed yet?

We are talking about the garbage that is collecting in your gutters. While you are reading this article, leaves, pine straw and other wind swept debris are silently collecting in your gutters and clogging your downspouts.

While gutter cleaning is one of most dreaded things for a home owner to do, it is also one of the most important things you can do to maintain and protect the beauty and value of your home.

Why is gutter cleaning so important to the future well being of your home and family? Read more

You come home from work to find your home a complete wet mess. Here are a few tips to help clean up your water damage Atlanta, so pay very close attention as they can mean the difference in saving your home, belongings, health and safety too.

The reason we say this is that water damage cleanup involves more than just drying out a few of your favorite dripping wet carpets. You will have to realize that you will need to deal with all kinds of flood-related problems including possible electrical problems, replacing damaged sheet rock, and preventing the mold from growing. So let’s start with safety first.

1. We are all aware of the old saying that water and electricity do not mix. So the very first thing that you need to do to avoid possible electrocution is that if the floors are wet not to turn on any electrical switches or touch or plug in any electrical appliances. Sad to say countless people are killed by combining water and electricity each year. If the electrical panel is in a dry area then go ahead and shut off the circuit breakers until you can dry everything out. If the power has shut down itself because of the water do not attempt to turn it back on until a licensed electrician has surveyed the situation. Read more

This footage shows  some of the water damage in Atlanta from the 2009 floods. In this video a Powder Springs GA home that actually got pushed off its foundation to a hundred feet away. Also notice the brown mud that is dried on the white fascia below the roof. The black roofing shingles look brown now from the muddy water rising as high as the roof.

In another home you will see how the force of the water pressure broke through the windows glass. Mud stains on the interiors walls and ceiling required all of the drywall needing to be removed.

atlanta flood cleanup day 1

It is a beautiful thing to see neighbors helping one another. These volunteer workers helped this family with the arduous task of removing the wet sheetrock, insulation and duct work in their home. It all had to be removed and thrown into huge dumpsters. Listen to the home owner as she relates that a piece of insulation weighs over 50lbs when wet!
You can not fix a home until all the old wet items that can breed mold and bacteria are removed. As you can imagine this involves a lot of scrubbing with bleach! Electrical wiring and circuit breaker panels that have been wet will also need to be replaced too.

These homes not only had their basements flooded but they had another 3 to 4 feet of water on the first floor.This is all part of the

water damage Atlanta cleanup that will go on for the next few months.

This took place on September 21, 2009 . You can see that the downtown Interstate 75/85 connector that runs smack down the middle of the city of Atlanta, Georgia looks like it empties into Lake Lanier! The cars are at a complete standstill as they can’t move forward. And look at the folks trapped in their cars, they probably are afraid for their lives.

Like this wasn’t enough they all eventually had to go home and worry about all the Atlanta water damage they received too. Let’s hope this never happens again!

In this 2009 Atlanta flood video you will see footage of the poor family whose Virginia Highlands house is at the lowest point of the neighborhood cul-de-sac. All of the water runoff comes gushing into their garage like a a raging river. She looks out of her front porch and out of her rear deck and it looks like her home was built in the middle of lake Lanier! One can only imagine what the Atlanta water damage repairs are going to be like. Poor family!

Here is a video of day 2 of the flood clean up in Clarksdale, GA. It gives you an idea to the extent of cleanup needed after a flood recedes. Volunteers describe the water damage here as looking like like someone ransacked the place with water.  In this video they are shown cleaning out the lower level and first floor of a home. Everything had to ripped out including the drywall, HVAC ducts & the insulation too. Hardwood floors had to be lifted as they buckled and were still wet underneath.

Water restoration cleanup like this requires that you have to eliminate every single thing that could trap moisture and allow mold to grow. Otherwise you will be installing new drywall, pain and floors over the moldy infrastructure. This in turn will cause health problems in the future.

Learn more about Atlanta water damage restoration.

Sometimes we forget how bad the 2009 Atlanta flood was. Take a moment to review this CNN coverage as a helicopter gives us a wet tour of our wet town.

Notice the the flooding on I85. And who can forget what Six Flags in Douglasville, GA looked like under brown muddy water. You can see the Chattahoochee overflowing and all of the poor home owners whose houses look like they are sitting in the middle of a lake! It is going take months to help these people with all of the water damage restoration in Atlanta that is needed.

Let’s pray it doesn’t happen again!