When your home or business starts to flood, your first reaction might tell you to look for a way to shut off the flow of water. However, the location or circumstances of that shut-off can be dangerous if the right precautions aren’t taken.
Ron L., a homeowner in Edina, remembers the time his basement flooded. His first instinct was to shut off the water. Now he’s glad he wasn’t home when the damage occurred.
A severe windstorm knocked down a tree in Ron’s yard and took the power line out from the yard to the street. The damage from the tree caused a surge of electricity into his home, and excessive rain flooded into the home. “The storm flooded the basement and the electrical surge started a fire with smoke damage in our house,” Ron said. The family’s nanny was home at the time with Ron’s youngest child. She opened the door to the basement to find out where the water sounds were coming from, but then she smelled smoke. She immediately closed the door and called the fire department.
Meanwhile, ungrounded electricity was surging through the water flow in the basement. “The fire department wouldn’t go down there until the power company came to shut off the electricity,” Ron said. “If I had gone down there, I probably wouldn’t be alive today.”
Whether damaged by flooding or fire, no property is worth the risk of human life. At the very least, slips or falls in a water-filled space can cause injury when you’re anxious about trying to save property. But there is also the danger of electrocution. Go to a place of safety. Call the experts to assess the situation and take necessary precautions. Like Ron and his family, you’ll be glad you did.
Learn more about Clean Response services for flooded basements.
