Interior Water Damage and the Importance of Contacting a Mold Remediation and Removal Company

There are a variety of situations that cause homes to sustain interior water damage. This includes the type of damage that occurs following flash floods or when home fires have been extinguished by the fire department. Undetected household leaks can also lead to interior water damage. Given these and other situations, roughly 20% of all homeowner’s insurance claims are related in some way to water damage.

When flash floods occur, these walls of water may be as high as ten to 20 feet. After wildfires, floods are considered to be the most widespread type of natural disaster. When these disasters are declared by the President, 90% of them are due to some type of flooding.

It doesn’t take long for water damage to occur and spread. When a sheet of upright drywall sits in just one-half of an inch of water, it can saturate the drywall up to six inches in under three hours. When this occurs, it doesn’t take that long before mold will begin to grow. If left untreated for 24 to 48 hours, mold will usually begin to develop and spread.

Winter storms and cold waves also cause a significant amount of damage. During 2015, for example, severe thunderstorms were responsible for 60% of insured losses, which amounted to $9.6 billion. During the same year, insured losses for $3.5 billion were caused by both winter storms and cold waves. This was nearly twice as much as the ten-year average of $1.6 billion.

Since taking care of water damage can be quite expensive, it’s important for homeowner’s to have flood insurance. According to estimates based on FloodSmart’s data, when a 2,000 square foot home has sustained 12 inches of water damage, this could cost over $50,000.00.

Given that household leaks can also lead to home water damage, it’s important to contact a company that can provide water leak detection and water leak repair. In some instances these leaks may not be initially obvious. However, if mold is discovered, it’s possible that there is a leak inside the wall or another area of the house. In this case, it’s necessary to contact a mold remediation and removal company to provide mold removal, as this can lead to serious health issues.