Chicago Area Flood Map

If you live in the Chicago land area you know the past two summers have seen some heavy rain storms. I remember our office getting calls nearly ever minute requesting service. Servpro of Ravenswood literally received hundreds of calls over those first two days.

We noticed certain areas were affected more than others. The map below is from an article in the Wells Park Bull Dog that does a nice job illustrating where basements are more prone to flooding. This is pretty consistent with what we saw last year in June and July.

If you have property in the areas with a high risk of basement flooding it would be a good idea to look into adding sewage backup or flood backup to your current policy. You might be surprised to find out you are not covered for certain types of damage under your regular homeowners policy. If you can't afford to add sewage backup or flood coverage at least make sure your sump pumps are working properly and have a secondary power source in case of a blackout during a heavy rain storm.

Does it matter where the water came from?

YES! One of the first things a professionally trained water restoration technician should know is the category of water that caused the damage. There are three categories of water:

Category 1

This is basically clean water. Sources can range from a broken pipe, icemaker and drain over flow among other sources. Category 1 water is classified as not containing waste or contaminants.

Category 2

This is gray water. Sources can range from washing machines, dishwasher and roof leaks among other sources. Category 2 water is classified as containing some soils and contaminants. 

Category 3

This is black water. Nasty stuff. Sources can range from sewage drain backups, backed up toilets and flood water among other sources. Category 3 water is classified as containing a high degree of waste and contaminants. 

Knowing the category of water present is important in determining the drying methods that can be used to safely and quickly restoring the damaged area.