What is a Flood Cut?

8/14/2019 (Permalink)

Flood cuts are cuts to a property’s walls, typically at least 12 inches above where the water rose up the wall.

Flood cuts are cuts to a property’s walls, typically at least 12 inches above where the water rose up the wall. The end result is the wall being cut nearly halfway up (see photo).  

Why are flood cuts necessary?  And how can water damage restoration companies fix them?  Let’s dive right in. 

When is a Flood Cut Needed?

Flood cuts are most typically needed when rising water enters a property -- both residential or commercial.  Rising water happens most often during:

• Hurricanes
• Severe thunderstorms
• Overflowed dams, rivers, and lakes

Although flooding is usually the reason for a flood cut, water damage restoration companies may also choose to use it in cases where other contaminants touch high into the wall.  It’s not very common for this to happen during non-storm situations (for example, a pipe leak doesn’t usually cause enough damage to warrant this type of cut), but it is possible in extreme situations such as firefighting efforts. 

Why Are Flood Cuts Needed?

Flood cuts are needed because rising water is grossly contaminated -- another term for this is Black Water or Category 3 Water.  

With few exceptions, what Black Water touches cannot usually be cleaned.  Drywall is a porous material (it absorbs what it touches, even with high-gloss paint) and is one of the items that cannot be sanitized, so its removal is needed to guarantee the cleanliness and safety of inhabitants. 

The affected drywall is cut away, bagged in thick plastic, and disposed of.  Due to the level of contaminants on the wall, cut drywall should not be handled without personal protective equipment such as medical-grade gloves, safety glasses, and a respiratory mask rated at N95.  Any powder left behind after the demolition should also be vacuumed using HEPA filtration. 

House Decontamination Before and After Flood Waters

Taking out the affected walls isn’t enough to properly decontaminate a home or business after rising floodwaters have entered.  All affected areas, including floors, furniture, clothing, and other items also need to be cleaned. 

The SERVPRO of Richardson water damage restoration process during storms helps our technicians the property's inhabitants have a clean space in which to work and live in. 

Property Decontamination

• Clear every affected room of items.  Clearing the room gives us full access to the floors. 
• Apply an EPA registered bactericide, fungicide, and virucide to all surfaces in the room.  The agent is allowed its full dwell time for the agent to effectively eliminate the contaminants.  This step gives our technicians a safer environment in which to perform flood cuts and continue the restoration process. 

Cleaning Household Items

• The items that can be safely decontaminated are taken back to our cleaning facility for processing. 
• Items that cannot be decontaminated are documented for an insurance claim and disposed of after we have the permission of the owner. 
• Items that can be saved are ATP tested post-cleaning to scientifically validate our cleaning process and ensure the owner their items are safe to handle again. 
• Long-term storage is available in our facility when necessary.  The cost of storage is typically covered by insurance.  
• When the owner is available is to receive their items, they are delivered and unpacked by our technicians. 

Why is Rising Flood Water Contaminated?

Even though it might look clean, rising water is always considered to be contaminated because we don’t know what the water has mixed with outside before it made its way into the property.  Consider the probable biohazard rising water has touched outdoors -- oil, gasoline, poisonous pesticides, animal waste, fungi, etcetera.

Reconstruction After a Flood Cut

Once your home is dry and clean, all the structural elements of the property that were damaged and needed to be demolition need to the reconstructed.  This is the last step your property needs in order to be move-in ready. 

We usually see reconstruction needed for:

• Drywall
• Flooring
• Kitchen Cabinets
• Bathroom Cabinets
• Paint

If you are filing an insurance claim, we will work with your insurance adjuster to get your claim approved.  If all or a portion of your claim is not accepted, we can still work with your directly to rebuild your home. 

Buying Flood Insurance

When an insurance claim is denied during a storm situation, it’s usually because the homeowner does not have flood insurance.  This type of insurance covers property damage caused by floods; contents (everything inside of your home) are additional coverage that we highly recommend.  Visit the National Flood Insurance Program for more information. 

Hiring the Right Flood Restoration Company

When your home has been affected by flooding, it’s likely that many of your neighbors have been affected, too.  When the storm has caused enough destruction to warrant a national response, we recommend you hire only reputable companies to trust your home’s restoration to.

When hiring a flood restoration company, look for:

• A professional and well-established presence online.  Is there information easy to find? Are they easy to get a hold of?  Where is the company based out of? How many years have they been in business? 
• Are they a local office or have they traveled to your location?  It’s very common for national companies, like SERVPRO, to travel to hurricane and other storm-related areas to help the local franchises meet the demand of their services.  A company that is not local is still fine to work with as long as they have national connections to guarantee you will still get the help you need should they return home. 
• A company that has experience and success filing claims, especially flood insurance claims. Ask: have you restored flood-damaged homes before? How long does it usually take? What are your procedures?
• Read more about hiring reputable disaster restoration companies. 

We’re a Water Restoration Company with Nationwide Reach

While our headquarters is on the border of Richardson and Plano, TX, our franchise travels nationwide to assist any community in need.  We have over 30 years of experience in disaster restoration, and we have traveled to many hurricane, tornado, and hail-affected communities.  

Our team of administrators has successfully processed thousands of water damage claims, and we can help you, too. 

Contact us or give us a call anytime.  We’re here to help!