Water mitigation companies cleaning up debris from Debby

Water mitigation companies are having a busy week cleaning up while dealing with the impact of Debby.

There is water damage that sneaks into many Southwest Florida homes after tropical storms.

When bacteria-filled water takes a storm like Debby as an open invitation to enter your house, a mitigation team swooping in to intervene could save you thousands.

Brennen Unnerstall owns True North Restoration, and while working, he has seen flooding, mold, and leaks.

“I would have never guessed before when I was in construction alone how damaging this water can be because you don’t see it with the naked eye,” said Unnerstall.

Unnerstall spent Sunday at a Sanibel home treating water damages stirred up by Debby.

“Water damage mitigation contractors are kind of the first response to get the water up and start drying everything out,” said Unnerstall. “The quicker we can dry it out, the more of the property we can salvage.”

Unnerstall said that some signs to look for are:

• Debris or silt on the floor
• Standing water lines on walls
• Warped floorboards or paneling
• A strong odor of mold

To assess the problem, Unnerstall uses equipment like an infrared camera revealing much more damage than meets the eye and tackling the problem before it spreads to new areas and your wallet.

“The quicker that we do something, the lower your bill. And the less we have to do, the less the repair bill is to put everything back together,” said Unnerstall.

Unnerstall said what you do not know can hurt you. If you are on the fence he recommends getting your house checked out anyways.