What To Do If Your NYC Apartment Floods

9/24/2024 (Permalink)

If your NYC Apartment Floods You Need To Tell Your Landlord Right Away

Water damage can be a serious problem especially here in New York City. For the last few years, there has been severe seasonal flooding. There have been thousands of videos posted to social media showing torrents of water in subway stations as well as basements of local brownstone apartments flooded with inches of water. Understanding what to do when your apartment floods is vital to protecting your property. In this guide, we will discuss what steps you should take if your Brooklyn apartment starts to flood. For water damage cleanup services in the East Flatbush area, you can rely on SERVPRO of East Flatbush.

Step One: Understand The Source Of The Water

First and foremost, in order to handle any type of water damage you need to know where the water is coming from. For example, if your apartment is flooding because of an issue with your plumbing you need to turn off the water. For renters, this may require an emergency maintenance request. If the source of the flood is because of severe weather outside you should look for areas around your apartment where the water is coming in and try to block it. The most important thing is to stop more water from coming in before you handle the water in your apartment.

Step Two: Get Rid Of The Sanding Water In Your Apartment

How you handle standing water might differ based on what floor you are on and how much water is in your apartment. For example, if a basement is flooded with multiple inches of water you will likely need the help of a team to come in and remove the water. Alternatively, if you are multiple floors up and there is a pool of water near your sink, bathtub, or other appliance you should use towels to dry up the area to prevent the water from soaking through the floor and leaking into the unit below you.

Step Three: Move Furniture And Other Items Away From The Water

It can take weeks for a floor to fully dry after it has soaked up water. You will want to move furniture and other items away from the area that flooded. Even propping furniture up by lifting it onto foam blocks can help prevent the furniture from getting more damaged by the moisture in your floor. Not moving your furniture can lead to it getting more damaged as well as mold growth in upholstered furniture.

Step Four: Hire A Water Damage & Mold Cleanup Team

The responsibility for cleaning up damage may fall on either the renter or the property owner or a combination of both depending on the nature of the water damage. Regardless, it is beneficial to work with a team that can dry up the areas of your property, remove/remediate mold growth, and ensure that damage doesn’t continue. Moreover, excessive damage to your floor or the baseboard on your walls may require some light carpentry work to replace the waterlogged sections of your floor/walls.

Contact SERVPRO of East Flatbush For Water Damage Cleanup

If your Brooklyn-based residence or business has issues with flooding, water damage, or mold, our team can help. We provide 24/7 emergency water and fire damage cleanup services for properties throughout Brooklyn. For more information, please visit our website.