How to Save Photos from a Flooded Basement

Homes floods are awful.  They are a mess to clean up, and it can be expensive to replace or fix damaged items.  But I think most of us would agree that the worst part of a flood is when memories are lost.

Many of us store things such as old pictures and photo albums in the basement as well as bins full of baby clothes and old school projects.  When these are destroyed by flood waters, no homeowner’s insurance policy can make up for it.

Photographer Liz Roll wrote an article for The Weather Channel about how to save some of these precious photos (A Photographer’s Tips for Salvaging Photos from a Flooded Home).  One of her most important suggestions is getting the photos out of the water as soon as possible and to prop up albums to help them start to dry.

Roll continues on by saying the first project that should be tackled is photo albums with peel off pages. “The longer the albums wait, the more the plastic will peel up parts of the photos; that’s why albums must be addressed first.”

Next, work on the albums with sleeves and finally the wet boxes full of loose photos.  The photos should be put outside in the sun dry–carefully arranged so they do not overlap or touch each other.

Lastly, she suggests using scissors to cut out damaged areas in order to save parts of the picture that are special.

To read all of her tips, please click here for the full article.

There are so many things to consider when there is water coming into your home, it is a relief to know that you may be able to save some of your memories.  As an important safety measure, do not re-light any pilot lights that may have gone out on a furnace or water heater due to flood water before having the equipment inspected.

For more information about getting your home back in shape after a flood, contact us at FLAME Heating, Cooling, Plumbing, and Electrical!