Flood damage to houses in a community in Sigonella, Sicily, Italy – Photo Courtesy: David Mark
When a flood occurs in your home, the consequences can be devastating. Even mild flooding can still ruin your flooring, your skirting boards, and the bases of your furniture. Extreme flooding can cause structural damage and render the house uninhabitable.
It doesn’t matter how minor or major the effects of the flooding is in your house, you need help – and fast. In these cases, people don’t often think of social media as a tool that they could use, but they may well be overlooking some important help. In this article, we will take a look at just how important social media is when it comes to dealing with the effects of a flood in your house. Read on for more information:
Access to Emergency Help
As soon as a flood occurs in your house, you need to get straight on the case. This means engaging the services of professional cleaning companies and restoration companies – but it also means getting your friends and family on board and asking them to come round and help. Social media provides a way to get in touch with all of these people really quickly. A quick search on Twitter, Google+ or Facebook will put you directly in touch with professional companies who can help you – you may even find that your insurers have a presence on social media too.
Watch YouTube Instructional Videos
YouTube is brilliant for finding instructional videos that tell you exactly what you need to do in the event of a flood. You can watch these videos on your phone or on your laptop (as long as it’s not soaking wet!) and they will give you valuable information and guidance. You may well find videos on subjects such as restoring damaged antique furniture, rescuing valuable paperwork and how to mitigate the damage done to your flooring. The more you can learn, the better, and there is no better place to learn it than online.
Community Spirit
Facebook – Image Courtesy: Tara Hunt
Social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter are great examples of an online community. They are great tools for bringing people together, and identifying areas of need. You could consider setting up a group on Facebook which can keep your friends and family updated on the repairs and remedial works – and this can also be a great place to post things that you need such as a new mattress or some help lifting some wet carpets out. In times of loss, people always want to help – but they are not sure how best to. By putting up on social media exactly what you need, you can help them help you and make them feel more useful in the process.
When any disaster occurs, don’t underestimate the power that social media has to get great results fast. You can speak directly and immediately to a huge number of people just from your smart phone, and the impact that this can have can be massive. So, the next time you need some help from your friends – call in the services of your social media platforms.
Tim Henderson, the author of this article, is part of the team with Steamatic, leaders in document restoration. He is an amateur magician and enjoys performing for his kids.
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