Over 130,000 homes in and around the Houston area have been affected by Hurricane Harvey. Unfortunately, less than 20% of those homes had flood insurance.
The recovery effort is expected to take years. However, there are a few important tasks that homeowners need to do as soon as possible to protect their home and prevent further damage:
When it is safe to return to your home, document the damage. This includes extensive notes, pictures, and even video of your home and property. You cannot have too many notes and pictures!
Contact FEMA and your insurance provider as soon as possible.
After you have documented the damage, contacted FEMA and your insurance providers, it’s time to start mitigating the damage. Start by removing all items inside the house that has been damaged by the water: flooring, sheetrock, cabinets, shelves, personal items, etc. Continue to take notes and pictures while you are doing this. Save material samples of flooring, fixtures, etc. to show your insurance adjustor. After the house has been cleared of debris you can start the cleaning, disinfecting, and drying process. You detailed flood cleanup guide can be found on FloodSafety.com.
You may be wondering what you are going to do with your flood house. You have several options to consider. Of course, you can repair the house to live in or rent it out. Also, you can repair and sell the house. However, if you prefer to not have to go through the hassles involved with an extensive repair you can simply sell it “as-is” to an investor. We have a detailed list of things you should to consider with each of these options before making a decision.
