My bedroom was ankle deep in water Thursday night. Tips for the aftermath?

[Maastricht]

I feel a little silly posting this after poooh-pohing the dangers in the thread: "Why dont people in the Netherlands move to higher grounds?" Because Thursday night, my house actually WAS flooded.

We have a city apartment with the bedrooms in the basement. An extreme bout of rain overloaded the sewers, a pipe burst in our walls, and water and mud gurrlgled thourgh the walls. The whole basement was ankle deep in water. Me and my husband and a neighbour were home, so we immediately started filling buckets, emptying them in the garden. The wooden floor in my sons bedroom is ruined, though.

The rain was extreme, but not that extreme: it was the third time in eight years.

We're evolving a bit already. The wood floor in my kids room, was, in retrospect, not a wise choice: we did it because we thougth the leak in our sewer was fixed and there would be no more flooding.

I am dealing with insurance, and they've been very helpful, and they will allow me to chose new flooring. But I'd like some tips to keep damage to a minimum if it floods again. (which I now kind of fatalistically assume it will). Will tile sideboards help? Floor pumps? What kind of cement/paint on the lower part of the wall will withstand moisture/flooding without flaking?

[Broomstick]

Originally Posted by Maastricht

We have a city apartment with the bedrooms in the basement. An extreme bout of rain overloaded the sewers, a pipe burst in our walls, and water and mud gurrlgled thourgh the walls. The whole basement was ankle deep in water. Me and my husband and a neighbour were home, so we immediately started filling buckets, emptying them in the garden. The wooden floor in my sons bedroom is ruined, though.

Oh, dear - sewer flood? Sounds like storm sewers, which isn't as bad as a "sanitary" sewer flood, but there could still be nasty contaminants in it. You might know this already, but just in case:

First, if you aren't up to date on your tetanus shots get them.

Second, if you show ANY signs of illness or infection go to a doctor immediately.

You probably won't get sick but if the water was in any way contaminated by sewage/fecal matter you are at risk.

Bleach water is your friend. Buy regular generic household bleach. Read label for how to mix for heavy duty disinfecting. Mix copious amounts. Wash everything - floors and walls.

Fabrics (bed linens, etc.) touched by sewage water that can be washed MUST be washed with chlorine bleach to disinfect them. Again, read label on bottle of bleach for correct amounts to use. If you can't use chlorine bleach you'll have to throw them out.

Upholstered furniture must either have the fabric/cushions replaced or throw the whole thing out. If you can wash down wood, metal and glass with bleachwater you can keep the item, but some finishes may be damaged by the treatment.

Flood contaminated drywall needs to be replaced. Aside from sewage bacteria, when that stuff gets wet you get mold and mildew.

Electrical stuff caught in a flood needs to be thrown out.

We're evolving a bit already. The wood floor in my kids room, was, in retrospect, not a wise choice: we did it because we thougth the leak in our sewer was fixed and there would be no more flooding.

Use bleachwater on the floor to disinfect until you can get it replaced or covered with something else. Tile, for instance, with area rugs that can be washed.

But I'd like some tips to keep damage to a minimum if it floods again. (which I now kind of fatalistically assume it will). Will tile sideboards help? Floor pumps? What kind of cement/paint on the lower part of the wall will withstand moisture/flooding without flaking?

You need some professional consultation with qualified contractors/tradesmen, which I am not qualified to give. You'll want something durable that can be cleaned/disinfected post-future flood.

There is moisture resistant paint, but be aware it is likely to cost more. Again, you should ask a professional painter (we have one on the board, but I don't know if she's seen this thread).

[Maastricht]

Oh dear. You scare me a bit ! I hadn't thought of that, as I always trust my iron clad immune system. But I have waded, bare feet, with a little wound, ankle deep in the water (fwiw: it didn't smell like sewage, just like street rain puddles). But that is now four days ago, so the damage is done, I guess. I'll look out for signs. I had my shots, fortunately.

There is indeed a area rug and bean bag in my kids room that I had just hung up to dry. I'm not sure how they could harm his health though, if they are dry again. How would it be different from touching the dirt outside and putting his hands in his mouth, which he does all the time?

I will speak with a specialized contractor in water resistant paint and wall tile coverings (the bottom ten inch or so). I hadn't thought of that.

Some pics.

[Broomstick]

Originally Posted by Maastricht

Oh dear. You scare me a bit ! I hadn't thought of that, as I always trust my iron clad immune system. But I have waded, bare feet, with a little wound, ankle deep in the water (fwiw: it didn't smell like sewage, just like street rain puddles). But that is now four days ago, so the damage is done, I guess. I'll look out for signs. I had my shots, fortunately.

The big issue is that there is a risk of cross-contamination between storm and sanitary sewers. Whether or not that occurred depends on how your sewer systems are configured, and of course, I have no way to determine that.

As I said, you probably won't get sick, just be aware there is an increased risk after this sort of exposure. No need to panic, just be vigilant. That goes for other family members as well.

There is indeed a area rug and bean bag in my kids room that I had just hung up to dry. I'm not sure how they could harm his health though, if they are dry again. How would it be different from touching the dirt outside and putting his hands in his mouth, which he does all the time?

Two reasons: first, that possibility of contaminated sewage I mentioned. Eventually, of course, any bacteria would go dormant if you simply set those objects aside for a long enough time period, but, of course, that would mean not using them for an extended period. The second problem is the growth of mold and mildew. While those will go dormant when dried out the spores retain viability for years in that state, waiting for a bit of moisture to resume growing. Drying doesn't kill them, bleach does.

A lot of area rugs can be adequately cleaned. In my area commercial laundries will do this if you can't manage it on your own.

If the outer shell of the bean bag chair was water resistant enough that the interior did not get wet all you need to do is wipe it down with bleachwater. If not, there's the mold and mildew issue again. In that case, you can open the bean bag, replaced the interior "beans", clean the casing, let it dry thoroughly, then replace the inside stuff with new.

I will speak with a specialized contractor in water resistant paint and wall tile coverings (the bottom ten inch or so). I hadn't thought of that.

Remember, you also want coverings that can easily be cleaned and disinfected.

[aruvqan]

You know what springs to my mind?

Do you have an emergency drain in the floor of the basement?

If you do, you might try an inside out version of how one does a proper basement in the US. They spray an asphalt coating on the outside of the wall, then attach a funny bumpy sheet of some plasticy substance that lets water trickle between the asphalted wall and the sheet down to the weeping tile system in the ground at the base of the cement wall.

How about having a drain in the floor, or a sump hole with a pulp tied to a drain, asphalt the inside of your wall, have the bumpy plasticy lining on the asphalted inside of the basement wall with the drywall on the room side, with the water being led down to the cement floor, with a false floor raised a couple inches above the real floor so the water can flow into the drain/sump and be eliminated that way. In case it does weep into the basement, the water is guided out so it impacts the room minimally.