After the flood
As we all know by the constant headlines and recent images, flash flooding is an increasingly common problem in the UK and its effects are always devastating for its victims. As a supporter of the British Damage Management Association (BDMA), UK Insurance Claims Management and property repair company, Aspray Ltd, promotes the use of professionally qualified companies and technicians to tackle flood restoration, and have put together a brief guide for those who may be coping with the aftermath of Cumbrian floods, or anyone who may be expecting the worse, in light of this winter’s unforgiving weather forecast.
1. Do not enter your Flood-damaged home/commercial property without authorization from the police or local officials.
2. Call your insurance company. Call Aspray. We can liaise with your insurance company and loss adjuster on your behalf. This is a free service to insured property owners*.
3. Once your property has been declared ‘safe’, enter with caution. An Aspray representative will come along and assess damage and liaise with a loss adjuster, depending on the extent of the damage.
4. Damaged septic tanks must be serviced as soon as possible. Damaged sewage systems are serious health hazards. Aspray will advise and instruct necessary technicians from their pool of flood experts.
5. Clean, dry and disinfect anything that came into contact with flood water. Every drop of flood water is contaminated with sewage and chemicals and left to its own devices it has the power to destroy your home with a concoction of mildew, toxins and bacteria. In order to prevent permanent damage, not to mention adverse effects on human health, you’ve got to have the area dried and cleaned as fast as possible. Aspray’s team of reputable flood technicians remove water with the latest thermo dynamic action before installing the innovative mini drying systems, dehumidifiers and air movers**. Finally a full anti-microbial decontamination will be introduced to eradicate toxic mould before a full drying and monitoring process is implemented.
6. Ensure the property is thoroughly dried out before a full restoration program commences.
7. Aspray will then instruct their team of builders, joiners and decorators to restore your property to even better than its original state.
Aspray’s Managing Director James Whittle is keen to let flood victims with insurance cover know that there is free support readily available from trained experts in this field, who are recognised by any reputable Insurance Company, who not only deal with the technicalities involved but also offer emotional support and reduce stress levels by guiding them through the entire process. James comments ‘unfortunately this is not an uncommon situation for us here at Aspray. We have a collective wealth of experience dealing with devastated and emotionally rung out homeowners and businessmen who just don’t know where to start after disaster has struck. This basic human need for direction and assurance was my inspiration behind the concept of Aspray – and I hope people will contact our free helpline on 0800 0776704 as soon as they’ve read this article’.
One of Aspray’s experts in this area, David Spafford, recalls the horrendous summer floods of 2007 in Sheffield ‘it’s vital to understand that people who have lost irreplaceable keepsakes and witnessed their homes and business destroyed by water NEED to know they have not been forgotten, we stay in close contact with our clients and keep them informed of progress. Their main priority is to get back in their homes as soon as possible and we do everything in our power to ensure this happens as quickly as possible’.
Today’s forecast indicates that rain will continue to fall exposing some of our most beautiful rugged counties such as Cumbria to the full range, and sometime fury, of the English weather. To help you prepare for the worst you can download a series of Flood information from the BDMA website www.bdma.org.uk. For more information please call Aspray on 0800 0776704.
