Leaky appliances, burst pipes, a flooded basement, an old roof, a bad storm are all examples of water damage. What happened matters very little when faced with the reality that your home is drowning.

In an online article reflecting the collaborative advice of FEMA, Red Cross and home inspectors, it was recommended to; "Respond immediately to building leaks and floods. This means within 24-48 hours - critical steps need to be taken."

Call a professional. Aside from the mess, structural elements of your home swells with water damage, waterborne bacteria breeds and wood rots, bacteria such as the E. coli and Enterococci bacteria and toxic mold growth. Don't take any chances.

Salvage or protect furnishings or possessions which have not yet gotten wet and moving them to dry areas. Remove furniture where possible and remove boxes of wet stored items. Avoid accidentally carry mold or other contaminants to other areas, it's important to store items to be salvaged from the flooded area outside, weather permitting, or in a garage or other dry areas.

Caution should be exercised in any flood, don't fall victim to complacency. "Flooded homes, crawl spaces or basements may be contaminated with sewage, bacteria, mold, rodents, or chemicals. Flooded spaces may be in danger from collapse of the structure overhead. There may be a danger of electrocution if electrical power remains on." Again, call a professional.

Quick service is important along with thoroughly identifying all wet areas, the proper use of equipment and using properly trained staff. No spray or gas is an effective substitute for physically cleaning and physically removing mold and moldy materials. Gases or sprays are bungling shortcut when cleaning is what's needed. A dead mold spore can still be toxic.

The cost of doing it wrong rises exponentially with water damage. There are many steps to properly mitigate a water damage loss. The costs add up quickly, but the costs of mitigating properly are a fraction of doing it improperly or doing nothing. If a water damage event is not dried quickly enough, mold will grow at an alarming rate. As the mold increases, so does the cost.

Mold growth is regrettable because it could have been prevented with proper mitigation and drying. Also unfortunate is that mold remediation is not covered on mold insurance policies. Water damage repairs and mitigation are always covered by insurance if the loss resulted from a covered event. If the water damage is not mitigated and leads to mold, there may be no insurance coverage. You have one opportunity to mitigate water damage properly. Once mold grows it is no longer simply water damage.

You should call a the professionals. Water damage, no matter how big or small is unexpected, frightening and stressful. It should never be ignored. Skilled technicians will use their years of experience, superior process and state-of-the-art technology and equipment to help mitigate, restore and repair your property. Their quick and timely response to your water damage will ensure that your property will minimize the damage and speed up the repairs. Let the professionals take care of the paper work with your insurance.