Assessing Contamination for Flood Demolition

4/26/2022 (Permalink)

Many homeowners believe that when their Bourbonnais residence becomes affected by any manner of flooding that there is no other solution but tear-out and reconstruction. Truthfully, there are many times where reconstruction and controlled demolition are inevitable, but they are not a guarantee for any damaged home after a storm event. Our SERVPRO crew can help with an accurate and thorough assessment of your property to determine potential contaminants and excessive damage.

Categories get used to determine the potential contaminant levels that exist after flooding, which coincidentally can indicate a need for flood damage demolition in Bourbonnais homes. In instances where floodwater could have encountered chemicals, sewage, bacteria, and other substances, it is often best to consider the situation hazardous. Contaminants require a specific approach to overcome and continue to pose a risk to those directly exposed until resolved.

For contaminated surfaces and materials, the most frugal and efficient path to clearing out these threats is to remove the material altogether when possible. For elements like drywall, it is possible to remove only the portions of the wall or ceiling that have been affected by the spreading water so far and allow the rest to remain if no threat for further water migration exists. We have a crew of licensed general contractors that can begin this controlled demolition as soon as possible to limit additional exposure and to aid in drying out lightly damaged areas like structural cavities.

In some circumstances, wood framing and other similar structural elements can remain installed with the right treatment from our powerful line of antibacterial agents and biocides. Eliminating both bacteria and mold spores can prevent secondary damages and harmful effects to those directly exposed. This step can occur while our SERVPRO team works to dry out the moisture in the house after the controlled demolition.

No two flooding circumstances are alike, but our SERVPRO of Kankakee County professionals have the right expertise to address both the restoration and reconstruction needs of the house. Avoiding contaminants might not always be possible, but our technicians can help to make these losses “Like it never even happened,” by calling (815) 935-0077.

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