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SERVPRO: The impact of flooding on schools
8/20/2021 (Permalink)
Blog summary: SERVPRO shares how schools are affected by flooding and the steps one can take if such a situation arises.
Flooding at educational institutes
Flooding due to storms or leaks can disrupt the functioning of educational institutes and the routine of their students. SERVPRO explains below the impact of floods on a school and the immediate steps the staff must take.
Impact of floods on schools
1. Mold and odors:
The extent of water damage caused by floods varies on the time it takes to mitigate and restore a property. One of the common consequences of water damage is mold growth caused by the moist environment. The presence of mold leads to a musty smell that lingers long after the water has been removed. This smell can prove to be very bothersome for the teachers as well as the students. More importantly, if the mold remediation has not been done correctly, the occupants of the school are at risk of several health effects due to the mold spores in the air.
The SERVPRO team ensures that after the water mitigation, mold remediation, and deodorization, the harmful mold colonies and the lingering musty smell are removed completely.
2. Loss of educational content:
Books, computers, projectors, and miscellaneous educational materials are vulnerable to water and can be seriously damaged. The SERVPRO team can coordinate the restoration of electronic devices such as computers. Moreover, SERVPRO’s document restoration facility has innovative technology and a full range of services to restore documents as well as digitize them. However, to restore these contents, time is of the essence. The sooner the damage is addressed, the higher the chances of saving the contents.
3. Damage to furniture, carpets, and upholstery:
Wood absorbs water quickly due to its porous nature. This leads to warping, flaking, blistering, and weakening of the furniture. This further diminishes the lifespan of the furniture and leads to an increase in costs for school administrators and local government units. Contents such as carpets and upholstery also get damaged due to flooding at schools. The SERVPRO team has the expertise to gauge if the furniture, carpets, and upholstery can be saved. However, if the items have been submerged in water for too long, a replacement is the likely outcome.
4. Food and water contamination:
Floodwater that reaches the school’s cafeteria or finds its way to pipelines that supply water is a serious health hazard. Flooding caused by sewage leaks or storms carries chemicals, pesticides, and bacterial diseases that can cause serious harm to health if ingested. This is the most serious category of water damage called “black water”. The authorities must contact a professional team such as SERVPRO to take care of this situation at the earliest.
5. Fire and electric hazards:
Floodwater can permeate floors, ceilings, and walls. This moisture eventually reaches the electrical wiring and power outlets leading to potential electrocution or a fire.
Steps to take when the school is flooded
1. Alert the maintenance team: The maintenance staff of the school has the training to handle emergencies such as flooding. Alerting them is the first step to ensure that correct safety measures are taken on time. A trained team can contain this situation by immediately following the emergency procedures.
2. Evacuate: Calmly escort students to a safer place if the school is functional when the flood happens. Do a headcount and ensure the safety of the students as well as the other staff. Usually, students and staff have undergone multiple drills that are mandatory for educational institutes to conduct. So the safe zone and the protocol would not be new to the students and staff.
3. Switch off the power: The general electric switch must be switched off if it’s not located in the flooded area. This diminishes the chances of electrocution and electrical fires.
4. Identify and shut off the water source: Flooding caused by anything other than natural disasters has a source that can be switched off. It is crucial to identify this course to halt the water damage. From a burst pipe, an overflowing toilet to a leaking water heater, there are multiple reasons for flooding.
Most importantly, authorities must contact a professional water damage restoration company such as SERVPRO to address the water damage at the earliest. The SERVPRO team can swiftly respond to the disaster situation and immediately begin the mitigation and restoration work to ensure that the school can begin functioning as soon as possible.
Why SERVPRO?
SERVPRO uses state-of-the-art equipment to bring the damaged property back to its original state. SERVPRO of Hurst-Euless-Bedford is always updating its fleet and equipment so clients in Hurst, Euless, Bedford, or anywhere else can quickly access the services.
With over 1,700 US and Canadian Franchise locations, SERVPRO is strategically positioned to respond faster to an emergency of any magnitude.
The SERVPRO staff is highly trained in property damage restoration. They receive initial in-house training and constant skill up-gradation at the corporate training facility and also acquire the regular IICRC-industry certification.