|
Recovery Phase
Recovery Checklist
Once you have been cleared to enter the evacuation area, implement this
checklist if flooding has actually occurred in the area:
- Continue listening to the local media broadcasts for more information
and advisories.
- Contact your insurance agent and take lots of pictures of the damage.
- Set up a telephone center, outside the flooded area, for your employees
and customers to get information.
-
Do Not Walk in the Water! Manholes could be open. The water current
can knock you down. There could be downed electrical wires. Wait for the
flood waters to drain off.
-
Use Caution! The mud is very slippery. Be alert and look for
structural problems. Look for unsecured shelving and equipment that may
fall.
- Develop a Business Recovery Plan after you assess the damage.
- Minimum clean-up steps include:
- Use gloves and wash your hands thoroughly. Flood waters
always have sewage or other chemical contaminations.
- Remove the water and mud left behind as soon as possible.
- Disinfect the floors, walls, and equipment. Ventilate the area
and dry everything out as soon as possible.
- Electrical and gas appliances should be professionally inspected
before resuming operation.
- Padded carpeting, along with the padding, has to be removed for
proper cleaning and to thoroughly dry, or it must be replaced.
Mold will start within days. Carpeting with no pad can be dried
in place and cleaned. All carpeting has to be disinfected.
- Sandbags and other flood material needs to be disposed of properly.
Sand and other flood materials may be contaminated with toxins
or sewage.
- Check with FEMA for financial and disaster recovery assistance.
- Obtain additional "flood recovery" tips and assistance from the State,
County, and City Disaster Recovery Centers, the American Red Cross, or
other assistance agencies.
|
After A Disaster Do Not Get Scammed
The California Contractors State License Board (CSLB) protects consumers by
licensing and regulating California's construction industry. It is an
unfortunate fact that unscrupulous individuals will try and make a profit on
another's misfortune. Don't let these individuals take advantage of
you during this vulnerable time.
Before you hire a contractor or sign any documents for repairs, the
California Contractors State License Board
offers the following basic advice:
- Don't rush into repairs, no matter how badly they are needed
- Get at least three bids. Don't hire the first contractor who comes along
- Watch out for door-to-door offers of repair services and flyers or business cards that are left on your doorstep
- Ask friends, family, and associates for recommendations about contractors they have hired
- Never hand over a cash deposit
- Even for the smallest job, get proof that the person you are dealing with has a contractor's license for the type of work that needs to be done
- Get a written contract that details every aspect of the work to be done
Read more in the
After a Disaster Guide *
|
( *)
Denotes an Adobe Acrobat
PDF file.
You can download a free
PDF reader from Adobe.
|
|