Water Damage in a Home with Children or Pets
A water loss is stressful for any household, and more so when children or pets are part of it. Children may not understand why the water is dangerous, and pets may walk straight through it. The first rule is simple: keep them away from standing and contaminated water. For the work itself, water damage restoration is arranged through a professional.
- ✓ Written for New York homeowners
- ✓ Visit first, then a plan
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This guide gives safety steps in general terms. No health advice is offered beyond avoiding contact with contaminated water.
Keep children away from the water
Close off the affected rooms and keep children out of them until a professional has dealt with the water. Explain in simple terms that the water is not safe to touch or play in.
Do not let children help with the cleanup. Even clean-looking floodwater may be contaminated, and household cleaning is not a job for children.
Keep pets out of affected areas
Pets will walk through standing water, drink from it, and carry it through the house on their paws. Keep them in a dry room or with someone outside the affected area until the water is gone.
After cleanup, check that floors are dry before letting pets back into the room, and keep them away from any drying equipment while it is running.
Do not enter flooded rooms
The rule for adults is the same as for children: do not enter a flooded building or room, and do not handle electrics in or near standing water. If water is near electrics, stay out and call for help.
Belongings in a flooded room can wait. No item is worth walking into contaminated water for.
While you wait for help
While waiting, keep the affected area closed, keep everyone in dry rooms, and note what happened and when. If the water involved sewage, sewage cleanup is the professional route, and the same protective steps apply in Newburgh as anywhere else in the state.
Once the work is done and the area is dry, the household can return to normal room by room, as advised by the professionals on site.
Key Takeaways
- Close off the affected rooms and keep children out of them until a professional has dealt with the water.
- Pets will walk through standing water, drink from it, and carry it through the house on their paws.
- The rule for adults is the same as for children: do not enter a flooded building or room, and do not handle electrics in or near standing water.
- While waiting, keep the affected area closed, keep everyone in dry rooms, and note what happened and when.
Ready for the Next Step?
Call to arrange a water damage visit in New York. Describe what you found and we will talk through the next step.
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