Flood Water Is Almost Always Considered Blackwater

8/24/2022 (Permalink)

There are three water categories.

When a Highland Beach, FL, business floods, it’s generally considered black water, which is equivalent to sewage. That means it needs to be handled with extra care as it may contain significant levels of contaminants.

Flood Water Categories

Unless you can trace the flood water directly to its source — and the source is potable — it’s going to be regarded as unsanitary. If it has traveled a long way outside or come into contact with hazardous waste, it needs to be handled by professionals. It’s broken down into three categories:

Category 1: If the water damage is from a water supply line in your own business and hasn’t picked up a lot of debris or toxic substances, it can often be treated as category 1, which is sanitary.
Category 2: Water that leaks from a dishwasher or washing machine is considered category 2, which has some risk. Rainwater leaking in from your roof also is usually category 2. It requires some special handling but is not considered black water.
Category 3: This is black water. It is considered dangerous and must be cleaned by top storm damage specialists. OSHA and Highland Beach, FL, have laws that require businesses to be sanitized after a flood before employees and especially customers are allowed back in. Insurance companies may even deny claims if they discover you failed to clean up after a flood.

Serious Sanitization

Category 3 water requires a deep cleaning with custom, proprietary agents. Most experts recommend SERVPROXIDE or Benefect Decon-30 for commercial storm damage cleaning. These sanitizers decontaminate many surfaces and are applied using saturated towels or unique ultra-low volume foggers or misters.

Satisfied Customers

When customers or tenants walk into your building, they get an immediate impression of how clean it is. The look, the feel, and particularly the smell of a store or residence can be the difference between high traffic and bankruptcy.

If handled well, flood water damage can be mitigated and your business restored to its condition before the storm. If mishandled, it can chase off residents, employees, and customers in droves.