Flood Damage From Your Roof

7/12/2021 (Permalink)

Flood Damage Problems in Central St. Petersburg / Pinellas Park from Storm Damaged Roofs

When a storm comes into the Florida area, damage to your roof is relatively standard. Once a hole in your roof gets large enough, extensive flood damage can result. During a rainstorm, many winds or even hail elements can arise that can ruin your roof shingles. Wind can blow rocks or other objects into your home and create holes in your roof or exterior walls that rainwater can enter. Once the water starts entering the interior of your home, flood damage can occur from the top of your house to the bottom.

As soon as moisture enters your home from the outside, multiple issues can quickly arise. The best thing to do is immediately call in a professional restoration company such as SERVPRO to mitigate the flood damage inside your home. Water coming from the outside is considered black water and may be contaminated with harmful bacteria. Rainwater can also bring microbes from the outside, increasing the chance of microbial growth. No one wants molds growing in their attics.

In many cases, the first place that retains moisture after your roof leaks in your attic. Elevated moisture levels inside your attic can ruin building materials if the area does not get dried out promptly. If the insulation inside the attic gets wet, the moisture can decrease the R-value of the material. Some types of insulation can get dry when wet, whereas other kinds must be removed. 

After removing wet insulation, our SERVPRO team can then dry out the wet ceiling materials and roof trusses. To do this, we often create a containment chamber to control the environment in the affected area better and prevent harmful particles from entering the rest of the house. We then set up heated air movers to create a circular air movement inside the area. In addition to the air movers, we also set up dehumidifiers that remove moisture from the air. Once building materials are dry, we treat the attic with anti-microbial chemicals and sometimes spray the trusses with a specialized sealant paint to inhibit fungal growth. 

If you ever have a problem inside your attic after a storm, call SERVPRO of Central St. Petersburg / Pinellas Park at (727) 521-2562.