Water Damage Affects Several Apartments

Property owners often hear that water damage does not wait for proper remediation. Industry best practices mandate that fast and thorough water removal must precede a structural drying plan designed to return all affected building material to their optimum moisture levels. Skipping any necessary steps or failing to monitor the progress can result in a disaster even more far-reaching than the original water event.

Mike Legg, Production Manager at SERVPRO of South Shreveport, guides the viewer through a scenario where the initial efforts by another restoration company did not deliver on industry drying standards with catastrophic results. A local apartment complex suffered water damage in three units, one above the other two. The water extraction job completed by the other business was inadequate. Walls and other structural components were not dried to Institute of Inspection, Cleaning, and Restoration Certification (IICRC) standards.

The residual moisture contributed to the progressive deterioration of the structure. Mike noted that our SERVPRO crews arrived ten days after the water emergency, plenty of time for the lingering dampness in the walls and ceilings to support mold growth and damage. Our crews responded to the accelerated damage with a range of strategies intended to manage both irreparably damaged materials and provide access to our structural drying equipment.

Flood cuts, the scoring and permanent removal of wallboard above the level of the water saturation permitted our team to get air, heat, and dehumidification working behind and between the walls. Moisture migrates from wet to drier areas. Cutting out the waterlogged sheetrock halts that process. Our team also removed baseboards and floor coverings to ensure the IICRC drying standards become achievable. We also removed ceilings to rid the affected units of ruined and mold infested material overhead in the lower apartments and below the upper space.

Mike reminds that the extended period gave mold colonies plenty of time to invade the three units. SERVPRO mold remediation and water mitigation crews clocked a couple of weeks of containment, mold removal, and focused structural drying at the point we filmed the video. The lower units now meet the IICRC drying standards, as documented by periodic moisture metering by our certified employees using state of the art detection equipment.

The tenant in the upper unit just vacated so the remediation process can continue in that area. Mike gestures to installation in the lower units of new drywall from the floor to the edge of the flood cuts. As the replacement of saturated building materials continues he states SERVPRO of South Shreveport can now deliver on the promise to restore the water and mold damaged apartments “Like it never even happened.” Our adherence to the industry standards and protocols supported by the IICRC makes certain that we deliver on this promise even when we take over after another company failed.

Homeowners and landlords never know when they might need to deal with a devastating water loss. Mike Legg, Production Manager of SERVPRO of South Shreveport, inspires confidence in our professional approach to water and mold damage restoration. Call (318) 865-4655 if you need speedy assistance that meets or exceeds IICRC industry standards.