What to Do When Your Business Floods

When your home floods, it can be devastating because so many of your personal belongings could be damaged. However, when your business floods it can be even more devastating because your livelihood and equipment could be damaged. This is why it is important to have a professional commercial water damage cleanup crew come help you salvage everything that you can and stop the damage before it gets too bad. Here is what you should do if your business floods.

Turn Off Utilities

The very first thing you should do when you discover a flood in your business is to turn off the source of water. You will also want to turn off the electricity. If electricity if running through standing water you will most certainly be electrocuted, so you should turn the electricity off before you even enter the room. Outlets can ignite when they come into contact with water, and if there is gas in the water this could become a fire issue as well as a water issue, so you will want to turn off the gas as well. Turning off all the utilities might be rather difficult if you do not own the building, and you might have to contact a building manager to come turn it off for you. While you are waiting for the building manager, you should act quickly and get some other things done.

Call a Water Damage Professional

Calling a commercial water damage specialist should be your top priority even before you call your insurance. It is important to get a professional at the site as soon as possible to salvage as much as you can and stop the flooding before it gets to be too devastating. A professional has the right tools and knowledge to keep the waters at bay and they are your best bet to walking away with the least amount of damage possible.

Save What You Can

Safety is always paramount in flooding situations, but if the area is safe and the water, gas, and electricity is off, then try to save what you can. Technology may be one of the most expensive assets in your company, and it probably contains all of your important documents in it as well. Try to get your equipment and documents either out of the business space or up high on counters or table tops. Make sure that documents, especially confidential documents are watched over. You don’t want to risk losing important information, especially if it is for your clients.

Document the Damage

You will eventually need to contact your insurance after your commercial water damage professional comes to assess the damage, and your insurance will want proper documentation of the damage. You should take photos of all the affected areas and equipment as well as make an exhaustive list of all your assets affected in the flooding. Make sure you open all windows as possible to let in light, if your utilities are off, it may be hard to take a clear picture, but this is important for your documentation. Being organized now will help you make a claim later to your insurance company.