Moisture and water damage are some of the biggest issues of the property, especially now that Sydney faces the worst floods in 60 years. If your property is one of the affected areas, this is when you need an expert to perform building and pest inspections.
As reported by Reuters, thousands of people from suburbs in Sydney’s west were evacuated yesterday due to torrential rains that will continue to batter the area up until tomorrow.
After three days of continuous rain in New South Wales, cars are soaked up to their windshields in water, intersections are submerged, and properties are severely damaged. According to IAG and Suncorp, they already received 3,300 claims on the concerned damage to the property.
What happened this year contrasts with weather conditions a year ago as authorities were battling catastrophic bushfires. Even NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian was shocked to experience these extreme weather conditions and floods in the middle of a pandemic.
How Can Floods Affect Your Property?
1. Health and Safety Risks
Water damage from flooding produces a veritable cornucopia of health and safety risks if the water isn’t immediately cleaned up, including:
- Structural damage
- Sharp glasses and metals
- Electrical damage and risks
- Contaminated drinking water
- Sanitary hazards and diseases from standing water
- Cut off communications
- Defunct drainage and sewage systems
- Landslides
- Road and bridge destruction
- Damaged crops
2. Loss of Life
Loss of life is the most devastating effect flood damage can have on you. Flash floods are one of the weather-related killers in Australia, claiming the lives of people, pets, livestock, and wild animals.
3. Emotional Hardship
Flood victims can experience difficulty coping with their situation, experiencing depression, anxiety, anger, fear, sadness, frustration, and grief. These symptoms can interfere with relationships, cause trouble sleeping, depressed appetite, and more. That’s why mental health professionals are also responding to flood-related disasters.
4. Property Damage
Eighty percent of damage related to all-natural disasters is caused by water damage due to floods. Homes, businesses, vehicles, appliances, and more. Nothing is immune. Just a few inches of water could cause major damage to your home or business, not to mention land and buildings.
5. Economic Loss
Not all insurance companies cover water damage resulting from floods, which can put a huge strain on flood damage victims financially. Ensure you have proper flood insurance for your business by verifying your current level of coverage today. It can take years for affected communities to be re-built and life to return to normal.
Did You Suffer from Water Damage?
Property damage and loss from seeping water need fast action. Don’t delay water damage cleanup due to floods. Unless your things are completely dry, you’re only prolonging the inevitable.
Ensure to call reliable and efficient building inspectors of Effective Building & Consultancy. Our building inspectors have intimate knowledge of Sydney properties and experience with inspecting flood-affected homes.
Our building inspector will check your home against a comprehensive flood damage checklist:
- Exterior
- Interior, including laundry, bathroom, and all wet areas.
- Roof exterior and interior
- Decking, steps, verandas, and pergolas
- Roof exterior and interior
- Chimney
- The allotment
- Termite barrier
- Under the house
For more information about Sydney building inspection, visit our Help Centre.
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