Is water damage any safer from man-made floods vs natural floods in Eldersburg?

Is water damage any safer from man-made floods vs natural floods in Eldersburg?

Not all floods are from natural disasters. Many floods are anything but natural, stemming from appliance leaks, plumbing systems, and other man-made inventions. Is the water damage from each the same?

Natural floods will penetrate your home from the outside while man-made floods tend to start on the inside.

In Eldersburg, natural Floods are usually as a result of:

• Rivers overflowing their banks due to large amounts of rain or snow melt
• Sudden heavy rains causing flash-flooding
• Tidal conditions from hurricanes which cause coastal flooding

Man-Made Floods are anything not coming from the natural world, such as:

• Water heater tank leaks
• Broken appliances such as washing machines, dishwashers, or ice maker water lines
• HVAC leaks
• Overflowed sinks, tubs or toilets,
• Sewer system or septic tank backups
• Burst frozen water pipes

Are you most likely to incur a Natural or Man-Made Flood?

Natural Floods

Every state has had a flood in the past five years and while floods are the most common type of natural disaster in the US, homes located in low-lying areas, wet climates or near coasts or rivers, have an increased chance of experiencing a natural flood.

Man-Made Floods

Water damage accounts for about 20 percent of all claims and is the second most frequently filed insurance claim in the US. In the home, 93% of water damage can be prevented, IF you take good care of your plumbing and appliances.

Ignoring your plumbing and water-connected appliances by not checking the condition of water lines, maintaining your water heater or flush things down your toilet greatly increase the likelihood that you will experience a water damage event.

Potential Damage from Natural and Man-Made Floods

Natural Floods

The average individual flood claim amounted to more than $46,000 from 2006 to 2015, as a result of natural flooding

All it takes is an inch or two of floodwater in your basement that can cause tremendous damage. All floodwater from lakes and rivers is treated as Category 3 (black) water, meaning it could contain pathogens that would make you seriously ill if you ingested it.

Black water cleanup up from a natural flood is much more challenging and expensive than simply drying out a home flooded with water from a sanitary source and should be handled by professional restoration companies.

Man-Made Floods

The water damage from man-made floods has an average cost of $7000.00 and has claims above $2.5 Billion a year in the US.

The source of water is what determines the degree of damage.

Clean Water (Category 1 water) comes from broken water supply lines, or sink or tub overflows, has no contaminants and therefore does less damage.

Grey Water (Category 2 water) comes from overflowed washing machines or dishwashers and contain a higher level of contamination.

Black water (Category 3 water) comes from sources such as overflowing toilets or sewage backups and is dangerous to cleanup as it contains an overload of illness related bacteria and should only be removed by professionals.

Do you need flood damage recovery?

Whether your home is damaged by a man-made or natural flood, Sewage backup or any other disaster, Restoration 1 of Eldersburg can help you recover.