'Snowmageddon 2017' Aftermath: Do you know how to prepare your home for floods?

BOISE, Idaho (KBOI) — Disaster cleanup crews around the Treasure Valley have been busy. Cleanup & Total Restoration CEO Mark Pasculli told KBOI 2News what to do if water makes its way into your home.

“The snow starts to melt and you add water on top of it from rain and it creates more groundwater and then obviously and then it starts intruding into crawl spaces and basements and areas like that,” Pasculli said.

So how much time do you have before a flooded basement becomes an even bigger problem? Pasculli says it depends on what your basement or crawlspace is made out of.

“Some basements aren’t finished and so it would just be concrete and that’s the type of material that can withstand water for a much longer period of time.”

Materials like drywall, paneling, and carpet accelerate risks of other potential problems if the water isn’t removed immediately.

“Mold growth, or even just the deterioration of the water as it sits there; it’s stagnant so it could develop bacteria and things of that nature,” Pasculli said.

On top of toxins developing if water is left for a long time, it can even affect your homes structural integrity.

“Anything that is subjected to water for a prolonged period of time can create rot. Or can create a disfiguration of the materials because they’ll expand and then they will contract.”

Cleanup crews will use a sump-pump to dry a crawlspace or a more heavy-duty extractor for basements and larger spaces.

Flooding is often not covered by insurance, so it’s better to be safe and prepare your home before it’s too late. Some policies can take up to 30 days to kick-in.

ncG1vNJzZmihlJa1sLrEsKpnm5%2BifK%2Bx1qxmpaeTlrlwssuopp2hnpx6pLvNnJyrpqNitbDDjK2mZqiimr2ivsRmsKitomK1sLnE