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September 9, 2011
Major Flooding: Your House As a Superfund Site, and How To Clean it Up
 Cleaning Up a Bad Scene With the buckets of rain and bank-busting rivers we’ve had in the Northeast starting with Hurricane Irene last week, lots of us are dealing with major flooding problems.
Cleaning up and getting your house back together after a flood can be overwhelming. Some of it you can do on your own, and sometimes, well, you might need a pro. With that in mind I thought I’d re-post an interview I did back on May 15, 2010 following the massive flooding in Nashville.
For those of you dealing with your own mess, or want to learn how to prepare for an impending one, I hope this helps.
This post is especially for our friends in Nashville and the rest of flooded Tennessee. I know most of you are well under way with your clean up, but floods are a regularly-occurring phenomenon and you never know when you’re going to get swamped. With that in mind I contacted Scott Mims, who owns a ServiceMaster Clean franchise in Anniston and Birmingham, Alabama, and he too has been busy over in Tennessee with flood relief.
I asked Mims for some helpful tips for cleaning up your own home or business in the wake of flood. He’s legit. Not only does his franchise specialize in water and fire damage restoration and mold remediation, but he also the Restoration Division Chair and Vice-Chair of the Certification Council for the Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC). Mims is a Master Water Restorer, Master Fire & Smoke Restorer, and Master Textile Cleaner.
John Galvin: Okay, Scott, brace us for the worst. Let’s say we had to evacuate, and our home was flooded, what’s it going to look like when we get back in there?
Scott Mims: Expect to see your belongings in different places than where you left them. Large items such as couches and beds can be turned about and rearranged by the floodwaters. Some belongings may be carried off all together. There will also be a potential for silt and debris that will look very similar to mud throughout your home. The smell will be very unpleasant, as the river water will mix with sewage and other potentially harmful substances. There will be a visible water line as well as discoloration of the walls and belongings.
JG: Give us a realistic scenario. If your house has been flooded, what’s the first thing you should do to start clean up?
SM: The first thing you should do is to provide for your own safety and the safety of those that may enter the structure. You want to ensure the structure is safe to enter. Once in the structure before beginning any cleanup you should document the conditions via photographs and/or video then start the mitigation process immediately. Once safety issues and documentation are addressed here are some additional tips:
- Be cautious of electrical shock hazards
- Ventilate the structure as this can help to reduce the amplification of microorganisms.
- Use appropriate personal protective equipment including but not limited to, boots with hardened shank, eye protection, hard hat, respiratory protection, gloves, water proof clothing or Tyvek suits to protect yourself from exposure to microorganisms.
JG: Okay. Now that we know it’s safe to at least go inside, what’s next? Even if we wanted to call in the pros I would imagine the odds are that you’re going to be overwhelmed with calls and not able to respond to everybody right away, so what’s the first thing we should tackle? And what are the tools we’ll need?
SM: Let me first start by saying there are many organizations that send crews to a disaster such as flooding. I am a ServiceMaster Clean franchise owner and being a part of the largest restoration franchise in the US we are able to mobilize multiple crews from all over the country to work with the local franchises in assisting those in their time of need. Help is not hard to find.
It is highly recommended that you use a restoration professional but if you are unable to afford one or want to get the restoration efforts underway here are some helpful tips.
- Remove debris with shovels and rakes making sure to clean the tools thoroughly with proper detergents after use.
- Remove any wet drywall or insulation as well as wet finished flooring materials and other porous building components that have been saturated with flood water such as doors, baseboard, hardwood flooring, etc… Your goal is to expose any potential pockets of saturation down to materials that can be properly cleaned and salvaged. It is very likely that you will only have exposed studs and subfloor left. When removing drywall make sure to remove the drywall up to 24” past the known wet line to account for potential wicking of the water. This can be accomplished with pry bars, shovels, pickaxe and many other tools.
- Once fresh water is restored to the home or business you will want to clean the affected materials. Start by using a household cleaning agent mixed according to label directions and spray it liberally on the affected surfaces. Allow it to dwell. Agitation may be needed to loosen debris and soil. Then wash with a water hose or pressure washer to remove soils. A pressure washer is recommended to loosen debris and give a better overall cleaning.
- Mop up or extract any excess water
- Once clean you may apply a disinfectant such as a 6% solution of household chlorine bleach mixed 1 part bleach to 11 parts water may be used on durable, colorfast surfaces. Never mix chlorine bleach with ammonia or strong acids. An alternative to chlorine bleach may be a 3% solution of hydrogen peroxide. You will want to agitate and work this in with a brush to make sure it penetrates cracks and crevices. Professional restorers have specific products for this purpose rather than using the aforementioned products.
- The next step is to dry the structure using high velocity air movers if possible. It is highly recommended that you contact a qualified restoration professional for assistance. Replacing building materials before the structure is properly dried could result in microbial growth and subsequent damage.
JG: How long before the mold sets in? And if mold is already in place is there anything that can be done except for calling in a pro?
SM: There are 5 conditions for mold growth:
- Organic food source (wood, paper, etc…)
- Moisture (even high humidity above 60% Relative Humidity)
- Temperatures between 68 F – 86 F result in most prolific growth
- Time (several hours to several days)
You would try to alter these conditions to avoid mold growth. The most affective method to limit mold growth is to act fast. It is highly recommended that a qualified professional be contacted and ANSI IICRC S520 standard for Mold Remediation be followed.
JG: What else is in that muck that you always see in storm-flooded homes? Motor oil? Ethylene glycol? What else?
SM: Rising water from floods can carry many harmful substances such as sewage and other harmful microorganisms. Your best bet is to assume all water and debris to be potentially infectious and treat it as such making sure to protect yourself using appropriate personal protective equipment.
JG: Thanks, Scott. If you want more tips from the IICRC visit their page on cleaning storm damage.
If you have other questions for Mims send them to me at suggestions@gettingprepared.info and I’ll see about scheduling a follow-up Q&A.
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March 30, 2011
Popular Mechanics Presents The Ram Home Safety Prep Show
 Spread the word. In Houston on June 4, Popular Mechanics is presenting the Ram Home Safety Prep Show at the Reliant Center from 9:30am to 5:30pm.
I’m the creator and executive producer of the show and we’ve got an incredible lineup of speakers including Cody Lundin, star of Dual Survival, and author of When All Hell Breaks Loose: Stuff You Need to Survive When Disaster Strikes.
Plus, disaster pros, experts, and editors of Popular Mechanics will demonstrate how to survive any emergency.
Also featuring the U.S. Coast Guard, reporters from the Houston Chronicle, a hurricane forecast from ImpactWeather’s senior hurricane forecaster, disaster experts from the Red Cross and more!
Ram Trucks will be on site too with a lineup of trucks that ticket holders can drive and test on site.
To see the full lineup, and to sign up for early discount coupons that will give you a $5 entry click here.
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February 14, 2011
Disaster In Name of the Law
 The State of New York has recently come out with it’s Public Health Legal Manual. Sounds bland enough, but it’s a legal guide to what the government can legally do in the event of your worst disaster nightmare. As the New York Times put it in a story just posted on their website:
“Quarantines. The closing of businesses. Mass evacuations, warrantless searches of homes. The slaughter of infected animals and the seizing of property. When laws can be suspended and whether infectious people can be isolated against their will or subjected to mandatory treatment. It is all there, in dry legalese, in the manual, published by the state court system and the state bar association.”
Sound scary? Well, yes, but let’s not forget that New York has already lived through the attacks of September 11, and far from locking the city down, and quarantining parts of the population, most New Yorkers were told to go shopping.
Read the New York Times story on the booklet.
Download a pdf of the booklet for free here.
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February 3, 2011
NASA image of Monster Groundhog Day Blizzard
 From NASA
The day after a massive snowstorm covered nearly two-thirds of the nation, the skies cleared over the Midwestern United States, revealing the impact of the storm. On February 2, 2011, snow covered the ground in a solid swath from eastern Arizona to the fringe of the storm in Indiana and Michigan. Eastern states were still swathed in clouds.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite took these composite images during three separate overpasses on February 2. The top image shows the United States in photo-like true color. The lower image was made with both visible light and infrared light to distinguish between clouds and snow. Snow is turquoise, while clouds are white and pale blue. The exception is a turquoise streak of icy clouds over Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina.
The storm that deposited the snow on February 1 tracked northeast from New Mexico to Maine. This means that the snow in the northwest (Utah, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming) is probably not related to the storm. The giant storm left at least five inches of snow in 21 states and brought freezing rain and wind to more states.
For full-size image, visit NASA here.
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January 27, 2011
Snowmare in D.C. Area — Report From The Scene
 This e-mail update from my aunt who lives in the District:
Horrid horrid horrid — quick and dangerous storm but only about 6 or 8 inches total
Came in about three pm yesterday and over by 11 am—was fast moving and heavy snow
Commute home was a story teller but at least we got home, many in their cars for hours
in the suburbs
Trees down, limbs all over and snow was like concrete and very heavy
We lost power at 11 pm and are at work to keep warm—300, 000 people in the area without power
and we will be the last to get the fix as our line only covers 5-6 houses
major streets all ok now and the sun is out
Read the latest on 13-hour commutes, massive power outages, and more from the Washington Post.
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January 25, 2011
World Economic Forum: The Year in Catastrophic Risks Ahead
 The World’s political and business leaders (and usually, er, Bono) are gathering in Davos, Switzerland, this week for the always controversial World Economic Forum. Since 1995 the WEF has been publishing their Global Risks report–a survey, in essence, of the catastrophic trouble that looms on the horizon.
What’s weighing on the powers that be? Another global fiscal crisis still has everyone on pins and needles. Can the world handle another mega-bailout, and even if it can handle it economically, will the people at large stand for it?
Corrupt states, corrupt politicians, and organized crime make up the second big grouping of risk which the report calls “the illegal economy nexus.” When you put it like that it doesn’t actually sound so bad, but there was an estimated $1.3 trillion in this type of illegal business last year.
The third mega-threat is, no surprise, the increased competition for limited resources, namely water, energy, and food. This won’t come to any surprise to anybody who’s heard stories of the price of cabbage skyrocketing in Korea, or the price of onions doing the same in India. For a middle-income American family, even a doubling in the cost of onions is something that many might not even notice. In lower-income developing nations, the quadrupling of a staple food can bankrupt a family.
Throw in garden variety threats like cyber security, nuclear proliferation, and terrorism (which is just a middling sort of threat in the WEF eyes), and there’s a lot to be vigilant of.
To read the full report, click here.
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January 17, 2011
Brazil Flooding: The Problem Isn’t Going Away. Disaster Preparedness Now Becoming a Focus
 The New York Times is working the disaster beat hard this week. Today, in the wake of the deadly flooding in Brazil which has killed over 600 people and left over 14,000 homeless, Times reporter Alexei Barrionuevo is reporting from Sao Paolo on plans to try and prepare for future floods instead of simply react to the disasters. Barrioneuvo reports:
“Brazil has experienced 37 disastrous floods since 2000, said Debarati Guha Sapir, a professor at the Catholic University of Louvain in Brussels who heads a World Health Organization collaborating center on disasters. Seven occurred in 2009 and four in 2008. The rain-related disasters have affected nearly five million people over the last two decades, she said.
More than 280 people died in Rio State in flooding and landslides last year, and at least 75 more in São Paulo State. That followed the more than 130 who died during heavy rains in Santa Catarina State in 2008.
But disaster experts say that the stark difference in the death tolls in Brazil and Australia, where at least 28 people have died in flooding in the northeast in the past two weeks, reveal a wide gap in the preparedness of the countries and their flood management policies.”
Read the full article here.
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January 17, 2011
California Disasters: The “Big One” Could Just as Easily Be a Super Storm as an Earthquake
 The New York Times reported yesterday about a recent USGS conference that hypothesized about the occurence of super storm that could dump as much as 10 feet of rain on the sunshine state. From the NYT:
“Yet vast floods have also been documented, both through tree-ring data and more modern historical records. Marcia K. McNutt, the director of the geological survey, said that 150 years ago, over a few weeks in the winter of 1861-62, enough rain fell to inundate a stretch of the Central Valley 300 miles long and 20 miles wide, from north of Sacramento south to Bakersfield, near the eastern desert.
“The storms lasted 45 days, creating lakes in parts of the Mojave Desert and, according to a survey account, “turning the Sacramento Valley into an inland sea, forcing the state capital to be moved from Sacramento to San Francisco for a time, and requiring Gov. Leland Stanford to take a rowboat to his inauguration.”
Read the complete story from the NYT here.
Read the news release from the USGS.
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