Restore It Restoration & Cleaning

When a flood damage disaster strikes, flood damage restoration needs to begin immediately. First, the floodwater may be contaminated with toxic chemicals and raw sewage, creating an unsanitary environment for humans and pets. Direct contact with floodwater is to be avoided for safety purposes.

Second, a delay in removing the water and moisture can lead to advanced secondary damage to the structure. Wood rot, blistering paint, warping, and dreaded mold growth are inevitable unless the water removal and dehumidification process begin promptly. Bulk water removal should be started immediately. Drying and moisture-removal with rapid-spin fans and heavy-duty dehumidifiers follow the removal of bulk water. Cleanup also involves the structural drying of flooring, baseboards, walls, and cavities. The entire process must move along at a rapid pace.

A third reason to expedite the flood damage cleanup and restoration process is to avoid a potential pest infestation in the home. El Dorado, AR, homeowners need to beware of pests that can invade a house after a flood damage disaster.

Ants

A homeowner might have a pest problem if a serpentine caravan of ants is spotted winding its way along with a countertop, around a corner, and into a cupboard filled with food, spices, oils, and canisters of sugar and flour. A closer investigation of an ant problem during and after a flood is revealing. Ants will escape to higher, dryer ground when an extensive flood forces them out of their nest. To an ant colony fleeing floodwaters, a home makes for a wonderful temporary or permanent residence.

A typical fire ant colony can host from 100,000 to 500,000 ants. When severe weather causes flooding, these pests will seek the nearest high ground, likely someone’s nearby home. That caravan of ants could be almost a mile long.

Signs of an Ant Problem

While the occasional appearance of ants is not necessarily a major concern, an infestation is a big problem. An ant infestation might include the following signs.

The yard and possibly portions of the home have been flooded during a heavy thunderstorm, tropical depression, or hurricane. Such an event creates conditions that would force ants out of their colonies in search of a safer haven such as a home.
Large numbers of live ants are spotted in the kitchen, where food sources are plentiful.
Ant caravans are making their way around the perimeter of the home.
Ant colonies are appearing with an increasing frequency near the home.

Homeowners need to be aware that some species of ants will silently nest in walls and other dark, quiet places. A flood-damaged home is also a haven for roaches, silverfish, millipedes, and earwigs.

Rodents

A flood event or just a severe thunderstorm can drive mice and rats out of their natural habitat in search of dry shelter and a food supply. Options include a home, garage, crawl space, basement, attic, storage shed, or barn. In situations requiring quick evacuation, a parked car is a suitable accommodation for small rodents.

Key indicators of the migration of rodents into a home may include:

Concentrated rat droppings in the same general area such as on the kitchen countertop, on the stovetop, or under the kitchen sink
Scratching noises behind walls, in cabinets and closets, or the attic
Visible tail and track marks on dusty surfaces
Evidence of burrows, tunnels, and nests near a garage, shed, or the home’s foundation

How to Solve Pest Problems After Flooding and Flood Damage

Pests of all kinds, ants and small rodents included, will find their way into a flood-damaged home. The homeowner is advised to hire a licensed, bonded, and insured pest control professional to rid the house of unwanted guests and to prevent their return.

When a home suffers flooding and flood damage that leads to wood rot and standing water, pests may enter the structure to flee floodwaters and saturated nests and burrows. Immediate flood damage cleanup and restoration services provided by a reputable, certified property damage restoration company will make the residence less attractive to ants, mice and rats, and other pests, including roaches, silverfish, earwigs, snakes, chipmunks, and skunks.