Oklahoma Homeowners Deal With 'Hidden Dangers' Of Flood Water

Hundreds of people across the state of Oklahoma are dealing with flooded homes, but homeowners may not know the full extent of the damage until the water recedes.

One restoration company spoke about the hidden dangers of flood waters and the process they go through to bring homes and businesses back to normal.

Whether the water was in your home or business for minutes or hours, it can pose serious health risks if not addressed quickly and correctly.

Dana Weaver said in just ten minutes over the weekend flood waters destroyed her Broken Arrow Home, bowing her wood paneling and ruining all her floors.

“It was awful," she said.

Weaver said she thought about trying to do the cleanup herself but called a restoration company instead to give her the news she's not sure she wants to hear.

"I do, but I don't. I do because I want my house back, but I don't cause it's a lot of work," she said.

Roger Fisher with PCC Restoration jumped in with his thermal imaging camera, and it was a lot worse than Dana expected.

"You can see it pegging out and actually right here is where it really stops," Fisher said.

He said the process to get Dana and her family's home back to livable conditions will involve several steps - walls will be cut out, the home will be treated for bacteria, the air will be scrubbed and crews will run dehumidifiers rather than fans.

The job is a category three because of, what is called black water, which could've run over anything from chicken coops to septic tanks before landing in Dana's home.

"All that sweeps down through here and it goes right into this house, and if you put air movement on that, we don't know what kind of diseases that's in it, we don't know if there's hepatitis, we don't know," Fisher said.

So every precaution is taken to get Dana and her family back into her home as quickly and safely as possible.

Fisher also said to make sure the company you use is properly accredited; you can do that by checking with the Better Business Bureau or having your insurance company help you.