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Checking Buildings After A Flood
Safety Precautions in Entering Damaged Buildings
Use extreme caution when entering any damaged
building:
1. If you must enter at night, carry a flashlight or
other light.
2. If gas lines are broken, turn off gas at the meter
or tank.
3. Do not smoke or use any open flame.
4. Watch for loose plaster and ceilings that could fall.
5. Open as many doors and windows as possible to remove
moisture, odors and flammable or toxic gases. If windows
are stuck tight, take off window strips and remove entire
sash. If doors are stuck, drive out door hinge pins with
a screwdriver and hammer, and remove doors.
Foundations
If you are not qualified to judge the stability of a
foundation, hire a contractor to make this inspection. A
neighborhood might join together in hiring a contractor
for this work.
1. Examine foundations and supports for undermining. If
walls or foundations have settled or cracked, uncover
footings and raise, reinforce or brace any settled
sections. Be extremely careful when uncovering footings,
because of the possibility of cavernous washouts.
2. If underlying material has been washed away, fill
spaces to within 12 inches of the footing with gravel or
crushed rock. Fill the remaining space with concrete
reinforced with steel rods.
3. Check piers for settling or shifting.
4. If the building has shifted or the floors have
settled badly, it might be necessary to install temporary
bracing until extensive work can be done.
5. Drain any crawl spaces which contain water.
Walls and Ceilings
1. Wash out mud, dirt, and debris as soon as possible
with a hose and mop, cloth or sponge. Clean walls and
floors before silt of mud dries.
2. Start cleaning from the top floor or upper limit of
flooding and work downward toward the first floor or
basement.
3. Check walls with a level or plumb bob.
4. Brace walls where necessary.
5. Check mudsills, plates, soles, and anchorage.
Replace or repair where necessary, using redwood, cedar
or treated lumber.
6. To speed up drying of flooded studding and
insulation, remove all siding strips or plaster from
upper and lower parts of the walls. Do not repaint walls
until they are completely dry. This might take several
months. Flooded insulation may be ruined.
7. Remove loose plaster. After house is completely dry,
repair damaged plaster on walls and ceilings. Badly
damaged plaster walls can be resurfaced with gypsum board
or plywood.
Floors
Flooded wooden floors will dry out slowly. Don't
build fires to speed up their drying as this could cause
cracking or splitting from uneven drying. However, if the
central heating system is operating, keep the temperature
of the house at 60 to 70 degrees F. to hasten drying
without causing additional problems.
1. To prevent further buckling and warping, drive nails
where the floor tends to lift or bulge.
2. After the floors are completely dry, plane or sand
them level.
3. If floors are too badly damaged to be refinished,
lay a new floor over the old, or cover with carpet, vinyl
or linoleum.
4. If a concrete floor is badly damaged, break it up
and install a new floor. If damage is minor, patch with a
rich mixture of concrete containing no coarse gravel
aggregate.
Roofs
1. Use plastic sheeting or roll roofing for temporary
repair on solid deck roofs covered with asphalt shingles,
wood shingles or roll roofing.
2. Use knife consistency patching compounds to repair
minor leaks.
3. You will probably have to replace damaged metal
roofing on a spaced deck roof.
This article was written by Anne Field, Extension
Specialist, Emeritus, with reference from the USDA
Disaster Handbook.
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