Disaster Recovery: Post Flood Clean Up

Follow these helpful tips from the LSU AgCenter to start cleaning up your home:

• Wear protective clothing. Cover your mouth, legs, arms, feet and hands while cleaning debris. Wear rubbers gloves and goggles.
• Use disinfectants carefully. Create a bleach solution using ¼ to ½ cup of liquid chlorine laundry bleach to one gallon of water. While this mixture is an economical general purpose disinfectant, it can damage the finishes of some furniture and fixtures. 
• Remove wet carpets, rugs and carpet pads. Within 24 hours of floodwaters receding, remove types of flooring that absorb water. Disinfect the slab with the bleach mixture. Some valuable rugs may be cleaned, but always replace carpet pads. 
• Pull up vinyl and laminate floors on top of wooden subfloors. Remove these impermeable types of flooring and clean and disinfect the wooden subfloor. For wooden floors, remove a board every few feet to reduce buckling until the floor dries. Some buckled floors will flatten once they dry.
• Pull out wet insulation. Even if you have to cut into your wall, remove wet insulation from the walls and the attic. "Saturated insulation will hold water, even if the wall looks dry, and eventually cause wood rot and mold problems," according to the AgCenter. 

Habitat for Humanity

If you suffered water damages as a result of the August 13 flood, and do not have flood insurance, Habitat for Humanity of Greater Baton will gut out your sheet rock and spray to kill the mold that is growing in your home free of charge. If you need assistance, please call our office at 225-927-6651 email us at lynn@habitatbr.org.

ORGANIZATIONS HELPING GUT HOMES
The following organizations have put together teams of volunteers to help muck and gut homes, along with other relief efforts. If you have damage to your home from the flooding and need clean-up assistance, call through this list.
SAMARITAN'S PURSE: 985-402-4350
BAPTIST ASSOCIATION OF SE LA: (985) 839-3827
NOLA TREE PROJECT: 504-415-8434
RED CROSS: 855-489-2528.
UNITED SAINTS RECOVERY PROJECT: projects@UnitedSaints.org or (504)383-5554
OPERATION BLESSING INTERNATIONAL: 757.226.3401
ALL HANDS VOLUNTEERS: 225.236.6677 or louisianafloodresponse@hands.org.
REACH OUT WORLDWIDE: Contact Mike 859-408-1073
ST. BERNARD PROJECT: (504) 277-6831
HOPE MINISTRIES: 225.355.0702
CATHOLIC CHARITIES: 225-376-6890
NECHAMA: 763-732-0610
COMPASSION CORPS INTERNATIONAL AT ALL NATIONS FELLOWSHIP: (504) 330-5793
EVACUTEERS: 504-517-3580
Also - Crisis Cleanup at 1-800-451-1954 can help you request cleanup assistance from these and other volunteer agencies.​