What Flood Removal Strategies are Most Efficient for Danbury Schools?

4/7/2022 (Permalink)

Avoiding a Flood Might be Impossible, but how the Standing Water and Drying Processes get Addressed can get School Doors Back Open Quickly. 

With how quickly emergencies like flooding can impact an entire level of a Danbury school building, our professionals must stay prepared for these emergencies. Because storms passing through the region can develop into flood scenarios with little warning, we keep trailers stocked in our SERVPRO facilities with water removal equipment and drying tools.  

The process of flood removal for Danbury school district buildings often requires multiple tools and equipment. With so many broad, open areas for public schools for classes, lunches, and assemblies, efficient water removal tactics ensure that flooding is not more destructive than it needs to be. Extraction can also be instrumental in preventing the spread of water to new areas of the school building, allowing more protected spaces for temporary content relocation.  

What Are the Best Standing Water Extractors for Natural Flooding?  

Standing water can be one of the most challenging aspects of flood damage for school buildings, especially with the threats of debris, solids, and contaminants. Before cleaning and recovery can begin, SERVPRO techs must remove pooling water throughout areas of the building. Several tools are ideal for these conditions, including: 

• Truck-Mount – With several inches or even feet of standing water, the most potent water removal tools available to our SERVPRO team can be the best option for efficient control of the situation. These pumps run off the engines of trucks in our Green Fleet and remove water with 300 psi force.  
• Trash Pumps – With such large work areas like hallways and auditoriums, available power might be limited. Even without the threats of debris and solids familiar with natural flooding, these powerful extractors do not require electricity.  
• Wet Vacuums – These extractors are among the most versatile in our inventory because these units can quickly move to various areas. With so many individual rooms in a school, portability in extractors is desirable.  

What Tools Remove Water from Porous and Hygroscopic Materials?  

Terms like hygroscopic get used to describe materials that are highly sensitive to water exposure. Fast absorption into these porous materials can become a pressing concern for restorers. Overexposure and saturation of construction materials and structural elements can require more widespread demolition. Several of the tools and devices used to regulate this shorter timeline include:  

• Carpet Wands – Attachments for the wet vacuums that our technicians use can quickly remove water from the most sensitive materials. Carpet wands are powerful extractors that do the most for the top layer of carpeted flooring but can often not impact padding underneath.  
• Weighted Extractors – Soft flooring materials like carpets can benefit from pressing water removal in Danbury. The technicians' weight gets used on stationary units or ride-on to push carpet, padding, and subflooring to displace moisture. On the surface, onboard vacuums can collect and discharge this trapped water.  
• Squeegee Wands – Surface-water concerns sitting on materials like tile and concrete are often more challenging than toweling and mopping. Squeegee wands capture water quickly and direct it to a central vacuum on the attachment.  
• Floor Mat Drying System – Floors are often some of the hardest impacted materials with water and flood damages. While tiling and concrete are less permeable and porous, floor mats can still remove surface saturation concerns when water begins to penetrate the first few material inches or benefit water removal in wooden flooring.  
• Positive Pressure System – Positive pressure is ideal for promoting evaporative drying in structural cavities between walls or flooring. With many walls being masonry, weep holes and infusing heated air can be an efficient drying practice.  

What Materials Need Removing After Natural Flooding?  

Among the most significant concerns after natural flooding are the possibilities of contamination and bacterial pathogens introduced to the environment. Direct exposure of this water to sensitive materials found throughout a school might require controlled demolition and discarding. Some of the most sensitive materials throughout the institution include:  

• Carpets
• Wood Furniture
• Contents
• Non-Metal Shelving 

There are many elements to consider removing floodwater and damaged materials in school buildings after a disaster. Providing an efficient path to recovering these facilities after a loss is a focal point of our SERVPRO of Danbury / Ridgefield team. Using our industry-leading equipment and rapid response after storm and flood emergencies, we can make it "Like it never even happened." Give us a call today at (203) 791-0920.