Local News

Flood Recovery and Clean Up Tips

HUNTINGTION COUNTY, Ind. (WOWO): For citizens trying to clean up after the recent flooding, especially Huntington County residents, leaders with the Emergency Management Agency released the following tips:


* For debris and items pulled out of homes or outbuildings (carpet, furniture, etc.), please call the city street department and let them know.


* Be sure to document any damage that you have with photos and right down when you noticed it, especially if there are pictures that show where the water lines or ice lines are located on any walls, fence, appliance, or high elevation point like cement. These pictures will come in handy when speaking to Emergency Management Agency (EMA) personnel, insurance companies, and FEMA personnel when trying to assist citizens that have been impacted by a flood.

 

* Make a list of all damages.

 

* If you encounter structural concerns in your home or outbuilding, document it and let someone with EMA (260-358-4870) and Department of Community Development (DCD) know (260-358-4837).

 

* Be sure to let your insurance agent know about any of the damage that has occurred. If you have flood insurance, this is especially important in the recovery process.

 

* Steps in drying out your home:

 

1. Make sure the electricity is off.

2. After the water is no longer on top of the ground, begin pumping water out of the basement—just not too fast. If pumped out too fast, the pressure around the outside of the foundation will greatly increase and could cause major structural damage. Ideally, take the water level down between 2-3 feet, mark it somehow and then wait overnight. If the water level goes up, it is still too early to drain the basement. Repeat this step until the water is gone.

3. Shovel out as much mud as possible.

4. (Make sure electricity is still off.) Remove all light bulbs, cover plates, and unplug all lamps/appliances connected to outlets that got wet. If building code allows you to disconnect the wiring from the switches (check with DCD), go ahead and do this and replace these with new ones once cleanup is done. If not, leave the wires connected and pull them out of their boxes.

 

Ice jams are also a big concern in locations such as rivers oftentimes occur and causes sudden flooding that can also be unpredictable. In Huntington County ice jams become of particular concern after a series of freeze-thaw temperatures and precipitation that also causes the rivers to rise to flood levels. The unpredictability of flooding that follows an ice jam is what makes ice jams concerning and dangerous. The water level rise may range from feet per minute to feet per hour, according to the National Weather Service. In some cases, even after water levels drop, the cold temperatures contribute to continued damages due to freeze ups of wet objects.

 

Typical problems seen with ice jams:

 

– Loss of life

 

– Hypothermia

 

– Property damage

 

– Operation and maintenance costs associated with flood control, ice management, etc.

 

– Suspended hydropower operations

 

– Lost power revenue due to shutdowns

 

– River bed and river bank scour or erosion that could lead to bridge failure

 

– Loss of fish/wildlife, and their associated habitat


                                         

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