How to prevent and treat home water damage after heavy rain, flooding

Originally Posted By WTOL: Link

Over two inches of rain impacted a portion of our area Saturday, leading to residential flooding and water damage for some home owners.

Cousino Restoration in Perrysburg has been dealing with emergency damage situations for decades. Co-owner Michael Cousino said water damage is a problem many homeowners face every year.

“Every 100 homes, there’s going to be about two of them homes per 100 that are going to flood a year,” he said.

Cousino said the two main problems people face is a failing sump pump or a clogged drain.

A sump pump is a common way to remove water from your home and Cousino said investing in a good one is some of the best insurance you can have in addition to home owners insurance coverage. He said people should check on them ahead of heavy rain events.

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“I recommend dumping five gallons of water down into the sub-crack,” he said. “Just to flush and make sure it keeps flowing.”

Cousino suggests that property owners keep an eye out for clogged drains as well.

“I recommend that people make sure that they clean their drains every three years,” he said. “Especially if there’s a tree growing in line with the drain.”

If you wake up to water in your basement and want to clean up yourself, Cousino said the number one thing to know is safety. Since it can be a hazardous environment, wear protective gear like rubber gloves, boots, a body suit, etc.

“A lot of the way that pathogens get into our bodies is they’re ingested through our breathing through our nose and as things are dried and cleaned up, they become airborne and we don’t want to ingest those,” Cousino said.

Cousino said homeowners can handle most minor cleanups and investment in prevention could save you thousands of dollars.