What Is the Best Response to Wilmington Flood Damage?

1/18/2021 (Permalink)

Our storm damage technicians have the equipment and experience to restore your home or commercial property to pre-damage condition.

Reach out to SERVPRO experts when Wilmington flooding threatens

Wilmington's twenty-first-century citizens hope past mistakes will not put them at risk of flooding events. Innovative construction methods, mindful building codes, and infrastructure improvements seem reasonable to expect. Most recently, communities near the ocean hear disturbing information about rising sea levels and lengthened and more intense hurricane seasons battering the Northeast and Atlantic coast. Enhancement and progress should protect the city's residents from anticipated issues and those "hundred-year" catastrophes that seem to repeat much more often than expected. 

What Can Wilmington's Riparian Location Mean for Flood Intensity?

Wilmington lies along the Delaware banks, with the Christina River and Brandywine Creek wending their ways through the city prior to joining that famous waterway before it takes that last corner into Delaware Bay. Residents of some low lying neighborhoods in Wilmington have long lived with the worry of seasonal, storm-related flooding. As they try to absorb the new implications of sea levels rising, they also express concern that their homes continue to suffer decades-long flooding crises due to precipitation. 

Do Solutions Exist Short of Moving Out of Cherished Homes?

The footprint humankind imposes often interferes with natural ways of mitigating flooding. Partnering modern engineering with nature hopes to set things right in the Southbridge neighborhood. The South Wilmington Wetlands Park developed as a viable effort to return a brownland site to the marshy, filtering system that "flushed" the high tidal and rainstorm water. Avoiding flooding imperiling the neighborhood just south and west of the Christina River's confluence with Brandywine Creek is the goal. The design includes:

• Installation of rainwater diversion piping to drain precipitation into the developing wetland rather than the water treatment center

• Removal of "fill" soil dumped into the brownland over years

• Digging of wetland channels

• Planting of appropriate wetland vegetation

The park works somewhat like a bathtub, accepting, absorbing, and filtering the water that otherwise would have pushed into residents' basements.

Can Antiquated Sanitary Sewers Worsen Flooding?

The 200-year-old sanitary sewer system is also an issue for many flood-prone areas of Wilmington. Flooding seen in some streets without enhanced sewers nearly swallows cars when torrential rains occur. Although replacement is an expensive proposition, diligent cleaning and a slow and steady upgrade of the conduits that drain the stormwater has a positive effect. 

What Is the Recourse if Heavy Rains Have Flood Water Lapping at Your Door?

Regardless of hopeful advances, Wilmington's flood damage cannot be ignored when it strikes in your home. Although your inclination might be to wade in and mop up, hiring the professionals at SERVPRO is the wiser course. Our Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC)-trained crews manage flooding efficiently, keeping you and your family safe and your structure intact. Expect the following:

• Safety assessment and appropriate controls

• Removal of flooding with pumps and extractors

• Location of hidden floodwaters in cavities

• Planned and controlled demolition to reach and release trapped water

• Containment of floodwaters, categorized as hazardous, and lawful disposal

• Cleaning and disinfection with EPA-registered products before drying

Rely on SERVPRO of Brandywine / Wilmington for flood damage restoration, including repairs and rebuilding using our construction division. Call (302) 762-8080 for a prompt assessment and a return to "Like it never even happened."

Contractor Licenses:

General: 1992104829

Residential: 1992104829

Commercial: 1992104829