What does living beside the base mean for a water call?
A house beside Offutt Air Force Base sits in the part of the county that the March 2019 flood reached. The Missouri River levee system that protects the base was damaged in that event. A crew checks lower rooms and the low ground around the house for river water when it arrives, and it records the water line against the flood history.
The crew makes no claim about how the levee or the base's systems affect a particular house. Its job is to read the water on that house and set the drying plan from the readings.
What does a river flood leave behind in a Bellevue house?
River flood water arrives with silt and debris, and it soaks into materials that act like wicks. A crew removes the standing water first, then clears the silt from the floor and the drains. Materials that the water has contaminated are assessed, and the ones that cannot be cleaned are removed.
The contamination question is settled on the first walkthrough. Clean supply water, flood water and sewage each call for different handling, and the crew says which applies before any material is cleaned.
How does Bellevue's storm and drainage pattern show up on a call?
Storm water in Bellevue can come from the street, the yard or the neighboring lots. A crew looks at the grade on each side of the house and the window wells on the lower side. Water that appears at a door or a window after rain points to an outside source.
The crew records the route and gives the homeowner a copy. A grading or drainage contractor can plan a change to the lot, while the crew dries the structure.
What should a Bellevue homeowner check after the water is out?
Check the lower walls for a water line, the floor edge for a soft spot and the window wells for silt or debris. Note whether the sump pit or the floor drain was working during the event. Photograph everything before it is moved.
Keep the record. The crew's photos, readings and removal list are the records an insurer asks for, and they help any contractor who repairs the house.
