Nothing prepares you for the crushing feelings you will have after entering your home for the first time after a flood.
Seeing your home and belongings wet, filthy and damaged will hurt you, down to your very core.
That's one of the things that makes it so important to get your clean up project started.
So life can get back to normal and you can begin to heal.
There are also health reasons you need to clean up quickly.
Unchecked water damage can be very unhealthy for you and your family.
Structural damage can get worse, the longer you wait.
Cleaning up after a flood, is time consuming, exhausting, expensive and potentially dangerous.
The amount depends on your insurance.
If you have flood insurance, all you have to worry about at this point is your damaged and irreplaceable items like photographs and diaries.
Let the insurance company worry about everything else.
If you are not insured, like many families in Panama, you are on your own, and you are going to have to pay someone or deal with the clean up on your own.
For most people, it will probably be a combination of both.
Before entering your home after a flood, you need to make sure it is safe to do so.
This is especially important if returning from a forced or recommended evacuation.
Check with local authorities to ensure that the flood risk is over.
Also, you need to find out if the grounds surrounding, above and below your home is safe.
Mud slides are a very real risk in areas surrounded by hills, and can be much more dangerous than the original flood event.
Once you know the area is safe to return to, you need to know your house is safe as well.
The 3 biggest threats are electrical, gas and structural issues.
In that order.
Find out if electricity to your house is turned off.
If it is not turned off, you need to know that your electrical panel was not compromised by water.
And you want the breakers to the rest of the house turned off.
If there is ANY risk that your panel or the wires going directly into your home got wet, you should bring in a professional to assess the situation and turn off the power.
Also, never work near anything that could carry electricity if you are wet or standing in water.
Gas leaks are another possibility due to damage or water infiltration.
Make sure the gas going into your home has been turned off until the entire situation can be assessed.
Finally, make sure your home is structurally sound.
Flood damage alone will normally not affect your homes structural strength.
At least not in the short term.
But fast running water, mudslides, soft ground or moving debris could.
If you are at all unsure, bring in a structural engineer for evaluation.
Once you know everything is safe, the cleanup can begin.
But there is one more safety factor to take into account.
Contamination.
Unfortunately flooding is usually not contained to clean water.
Sewer contamination and toxins from other chemicals and bacteria will accompany the water.
Make sure you are protected with rubber boots, gloves and protective clothing.
Masks and other gear may also be required if you suspect sewer contamination.
Make sure any open cuts or wounds on your body are well protected from infection.
Start by removing any standing water in your home.
Depending on your construction and floor plan, this could mean renting a water pump to remove the standing water to the outside.
If using a gas powered pump, be sure to run the machine outside to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning.
Once the water is out, you need to go through your belongings.
Belongings fall into a couple of different categories, items that got wet on the surface and are non absorbent and absorbent items, or items that can be water logged.
Non porous items can be easily cleaned and disinfected.
Remember that flood waters are not clean, so you want to kill the bacteria with a disinfectant cleaner.
Absorbent items are much more difficult.
Some items are obviously destroyed, and should be gotten rid of.
Photographs where the ink has run, and books that are falling apart are obvious examples.
Often items that are not obviously "damaged" can be saved.
But, it can be difficult.
If you can live without, or can afford to replace water logged items, you are often best to get rid of them.
Especially paper based items which are likely beyond repair.
If photos or books are extremely sentimental, they can sometimes be salvaged but they can be difficult to dry out and disinfect.
Clothing items can be washed, but should be washed with bleach.
Furniture and mattresses need to be professionally cleaned.
Especially if there is a chance of contamination.
If you know they have not been contaminated, you will need to take steps to remove as much water as you can, and get them dried as soon as possible before mold sets in.
You should also look at products aimed at disinfecting these types of items.
Once your belongings are removed and disposed, or are being cleaned, its time to deal with the house itself.
If you have drywall that has gotten wet, it needs to be removed.
It will never dry adequately.
You need to open up the walls anyway to allow the supporting structures to dry.
Depending on your insulation type, it will probably also need to be removed and replaced.
Clean all surfaces that have been in contact with water.
And then disinfect using a disinfecting cleaner.
Now you have to let everything dry completely.
How long this take depends on how your home is built, outside and inside temperature, and how bad the flooding was.
A complete drying can take weeks or even months.
If it is warm enough outside, keeping all windows and doors open to increase ventilation will help.
There are also industrial sized fans you can rent or purchase to keep air moving.
If you are in a colder climate, keep your heater running.
But only after has been inspected for damage by a qualified contractor.
Make sure that everything is completely dry and disinfected before you rebuild, add drywall and redecorate your home.
You should talk to a construction professional if any rebuilding needs to be done.
Talk to a professional before turning on your electricity and gas.
Flood damage is extremely expensive to deal with if you do not have insurance.
It is also emotionally upsetting when you lose items that cannot be replaced.
Getting rid of as many of your wet belongings as possible, and then cleaning and disinfecting the rest as soon as possible is critical to life returning to normal.
Then, it is a matter of making sure everything is completely dried out.
You can recover from a flood.
It may be expensive and it will definitely be tiring.
But whatever you do, make sure it is done right so that you do not encounter further damage or health issues in the future.