Stay Safe and Informed During Hurricane Season

KIWI wants our Houston neighbors to stay safe during this time. We care about the safety and well being of all of those affected by Hurricane Harvey. While KIWI does offer 24/7 immediate flood damage repair for Hurricane Harvey flood damage restoration, we also want to provide you with some tips on how to handle flooding in and around your home.

Be aware of the dangers of flood water
Six inches of fast-flowing water can knock over an adult and two feet of water can lift a car off the ground. Do not drive or cycle through floods if you cannot be certain how deep they are – there maybe hidden debris or open manholes under the water. Keep children and other vulnerable people away from it. Wash your hands thoroughly if you touch it – it maybe contaminated with sewage.

If flood water is about to enter your home, turn off water, electricity and gas supplies
It is important to stop all of these utilities. Flood water and the items within it can cause damage to pipes and cabling, resulting in leaks or instabilities. Leaks in water pipes could add to the problem, while a gas leak will pose an immediate risk to your health.

Move Valuable Belongings Upstairs
The first priority must always be to make sure people and pets are safe first, but if you have time, move your valuable and necessary belongings upstairs, where they are more likely to remain dry and undamaged. Unplug all electrical equipment such as TVs and Computers and move them if possible. If possible, remove drawers from wooden furniture. Wood will expand when wet. Removing the drawers will help prevent built up of pressure in the furniture and help reduce damage to them. Make sure you have medication, waterproof clothing and torches and plenty of batteries to hand. It may be useful to have a radio, mobile phone and battery-powered phone chargers available too.

Act Quickly
It is important to act quickly when it comes to water damage. You will need a professional company to thoroughly dry your walls, floors, and ceilings, as well as remove and disinfect any contaminated carpet, flooring, cabinetry, and walls to avoid mold and mildew growth. Without doing this, repairs can become more costly. It is also recommended to have moisture readings to ensure the structure is thoroughly dry.

Stop the Water
Did a pipe burst, sink over flow, or toilet back up? Turn off the water to the house to stop the flow and prevent any further damage. If the damage is from severe weather, like what is being forecast with Hurricane Harvey, or a neighboring water source, work with the city and neighbors to stop additional water from flowing through your home.

Call KIWI’s Water Damage Restoration Team
Minutes count when it comes to drying out your home and KIWI has water damage repair teams you can call at 800-959-5494, on standby 24 hours a day, 7 days a week all year long. We’ll work with your insurance for the billing of our services to help streamline the repair process. We work quickly to dry out your home with our sump pumps and industrial vacuums; and by installing professional drying equipment, removing wet damaged carpet padding, dry wall, insulation, and items permanently damaged from water. We’ll also disinfect and deodorize to prevent mold and mildew; clean carpets, floors, rugs and upholstery.

Take photos of the Damage
That’s right, before cleaning up and draining the water from your home, take pictures. Your insurance company will need photographic evidence of the damage that occurred on your property. When you call KIWI, 800-959-5494, we’ll help you take photos of all of the damage, showing how high onto the wall the water has reached to water lines in the flooring areas. Taking photos before cleaning up will allow your insurance to assess the true value of the damages and losses.

Call Insurance Company
Call your insurance company to make a claim. When you use KIWI, we’ll work directly with your insurance company and assist you in filing a claim. We’ve worked with all of the big name companies and the small guys so we very familiar with the claims process and how to make it easier for you. When you work with KIWI you will have a dedicated flood coordinators that is here to help you navigate the insurance claim process. Remember that it is your choice which water damage restoration company you use. We hope you’ll choose KIWI.

Start Cleanup ASAP
Once photos have been taken of the initial damages and you’ve spoken your insurance company, KIWI can start to help you clean up. We’ll drain water using sump pumps, professional vacuums, and start pulling out wet and damaged items. Then we’ll use our professional grade equipment to thoroughly dry and disinfect your home to prevent the growth of mold and mildew.