The Concord Group

As we’ve all seen from watching the news from around the world, flooding can quickly cause irreparable damages and emotional strife to its victims. Surprisingly, even in Toronto, flooding doesn’t always occur in spring or summer months. In February 2009, after record rains, the flood Toronto experienced interrupted daily life for many of its residents. As a result of record high rainfall, record high temperatures, and melting snow in the month of February, these unusual circumstances let to the flood Toronto citizens endured. Prior to 2009, the last flood Toronto experienced was in 1981 where 10 mm of rain fell on the city.

On this fateful day in 2009, the flood Toronto area residents saw included parking lots along the Humber River completely submerged underwater. And, according to Toronto city crews, immense ice churns in the Don River were capable of taking out trees as they rushed down the waterway. As a precaution, Etienne Brule Park was completely closed off to the public. They feared that the areas closest to the river could end up under more than two feet of water.

Another disruption that the flood Toronto citizens encountered was the closing of Union Station, one of the city’s largest transit arteries. As a result of a broken water main, serious flooding occurred and the station had to be evacuated just before 11:00 pm. Floodwaters poured down staircases in Union Station and water was even rushing out of elevator shafts. As if stolen straight from a movie, these unthinkable scenes became real occurrences in the flood Toronto suffered in 2009.

Flooding is not something that anyone looks forward to, and often it is a disaster that we have not planned for thoroughly. Many of us think of flooding as something that happens to people who build to close to rivers or the beach. However, flooding can happen virtually anywhere. A strong rainstorm or melting from unusually heavy snowfall can saturate the ground and lead to basement flooding even in cities. Broken pipes or backed up sewer lines can easily flood a basement, a yard, a garage, or even a house. When flood disasters happen, we can be stuck trying to figure out the best way to engage in flood cleanup.

Don’t try to do flood cleanup yourself. Floods may seem like something that the average homeowner should be able to handle with a mop and bucket, but the truth is that you don’t know what kind of water has seeped into your home. If it is clean water (such as from a burst water pipe or overflowing sink), cleanup would be easy. But if it is gray water (contaminated with biological material, such as from a broken dishwasher) or even black water (contaminated with dangerous bacteria and fungi, such as from sewer or river water), it can be dangerous to attempt flood cleanup on your own.

Instead, turn to flood cleanup professionals who understand the many types of flood damage and are trained to repair the damage safely, efficiently, and effectively. With professional flood cleanup, you’ll be back to normal quickly and safely.

Flood damage has increased dramatically over the last few decades, both as a result of changes in weather patterns and as a result of increasing numbers of new constructions in areas that are prone to flooding. While most homeowners in these areas take all necessary precautions to prevent or minimize flood damage, it is not possible to anticipate every possibility, and sometimes flood waters can make it in to a home or a business. When this happens, and flood damage occurs, the results can be devastating. Fortunately, there are flood damage specialists who know how to repair flood damage and get your home or business back the way it was meant to be quickly and efficiently.

Even a little bit of water can cause serious flood damage to your home if you are not properly prepared. Rather than take the risk that you will experience flood damage, it makes sense to try to minimize potential damage ahead of time by water proofing your home. While nothing can stop serious and severe flooding, commonsense measures and professional waterproofing can help to minimize the problems caused by small, natural flooding events as well as the flood damage caused by burst pipes and other human-generated mishaps.

Flood damage can cause a range of problems, first with the direct damage to property caused by the water damage. This is the obvious problem. Less obvious are the health problems that flood damage can cause, ranging from illnesses derived from the water to toxic mold that feeds off of dampness and can cause illness. These sorts of issues make dealing with flood damage essential.