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Flooding in Comonfort, Guanajuato, Mexico (C) 2009 Daniel FriedmanBuilding Damage
Inspection, Repair, Prevention - Home Page & Index

  • POST a QUESTION or COMMENT about building damage assessment following disasters, storms, flooding, earthquake, windstorms, hurricanes etc

This page provides our index to building damage assessment & damage repair or restoration procedures.

These are guidellines for entering, inspecting & repairing buildings damaged by earthquake, fire, flooding, hurricane, windstorms.

We discuss building safety & damage assessment following earthquake, fire, flood, hurricane, windstorm or similar catastrophes. The articles in this series explain safe building entry procedures, priority of action or repair, and also damage prevention.

Each article includes citations providing authoritative information on damage assessment, codes, safety procedures as well as sources of emergency or re-build assistance.

This article series provides residential & light construction building damage assessment procedures for buildings following disasters such as from earthquake, fire, flood, hurricane, tropical storm, or wind damage.

Also try the page top or bottom SEARCH BOX as a quick way to find information you need.

InspectAPedia tolerates no conflicts of interest. We have no relationship with advertisers, products, or services discussed at this website.

Building damage assessment, loss prevention, emergency action priorities

Photograph of building damage near Los Angeles 2000 © Daniel FriedmanThis page is an index to key articles about building damage assessment, damage control, and damage prevention from both natural and man-made disasters such as fire, flood, earthquake, wind or land-slide.

FEMA and the ARC as well as home & building inspection associations provide extensive training and written guidance to assist engineers and damage assessment workers asked to evaluate the condition of buildings following an earthquake or other disaster.

In addition, your homeowners insurance company may, as does USAA, offer an online property risk assessment tool that can check the degree of risk to wildfire or storm surge damage.

Photo at page top: a city bus pushing its way through flooded streets in Comonfort, Guanajuato, Mexico in 2009. [Click to enlarge any image]

Our cracked building photo (above/left) was caused by the Northridge earthquake in Los Angeles in 1994. The website editor along with other ASHI inspectors assisted the American Red Cross with damage assessment and with providing services to people whose homes were damaged, destroyed, or that were unsafe to enter.

In the articles listed here we discuss safe building entry procedures, setting the priority for repairs, and we give more detailed building inspection advice for building structures such as foundations & framing, and inspection and restoration of building mechanical systems.

We discuss initial or rapid steps to minimize building damage such as proper procedures for water removal, dryout, prevention of avoidable mold growth control, mold cleanup.

We also include links and citations to expert sources for emergency relief (FEMA, ARC in the U.S.), and we cite scholarly books and articles on building damage prevention.

To find what you need quickly, if you don't want to scroll through this index you are welcome to use the page top or bottom SEARCH BOX to search InspectApedia for specific articles and information.

Additional References for Prevention of Earthquake Damage to Homes

How to Avoid Disreputable Contractors When Performing Disaster-Related Repairs

Our insurer quotes the U.S. Federal Trade Commission in offering several basic tips to reduce the risk of being taken advantage-of by unscrupulous contractors who offer repair services following a natural disaster:

Protect your privacy: do not give out personal information before you are convinced that it is necessary. If someone is asking for personal information, check their identification card and certification or authorization. before allowing them into your home.

Identify the contractor's home base: check trucks or vehicles for local addresses and license plates; record the name, address, and contact information of contractors with whom you are considering doing business.

Get multiple repair estimates: it's a good idea to ask for repair estimates from at least three different contractors. And if your home has had a condition of property inspection by a supposedly unbiased independent expert, make double sure that your home inspector has no relationship with the contractors who bid on the work.

Contractors' insurance: check that your contractor carries general liability and worker's compensation insurance.

Watch out for good deals: disaster sales offering discounted goods and services may be providing shoddy, damaged, or dangerous goods.

Do not pay the contractor off completely until you are certain that all of the work has been completed satisfactorily. When we had some plumbing work performed we came home to find leaks all over the place, wet floors, junk and debris not cleaned up.

We called the contractor. "I've got your check right here, ready to pay you ..." I began. The contractor was elated. "I'll be right over" he replied. "But I'm really sorry, I just can't pay you ..

." I continued, " ... because even though your man left a bill and said he was finished, there are leaks and water and mess all over the place. As soon as the job is actually complete, I'll have your check." The contractor himself came by to fix the leaks and clean up the mess until we were satisfied. Be nice, be fair, be firm.

Fire Damaged Buildings

We have moved our home page for building fire damage information to FIRE DAMAGE - home page.

Flood damaged homes

Flooding in Comonfort, Guanajuato, Mexico (C) 2009 Daniel Friedman

Our home page for articles giving in-depth information about building flood damage assessment, cleanup & repair procedures, and flood damage prevention & protection has moved.

See FLOOD DAMAGE - home page

Hurricane Preparation

Rapid removal of soaked materials from a storm-flooded building (C) 2013 Daniel Friedman

See HURRICANE DAMAGED BUILDINGS - home page. Excerpts are below.

When to leave your home in the face of a coming storm

Fire Damaged Buildings

Fire damaged home - electrical cord under carpet (C) Daniel FriedmanSee this topic home page - FIRE DAMAGED BUILDINGS.

Also see WILDFIRE DAMAGE PREVENTION

Our photo at left shows a Rhinebeck NY home that was destroyed by fire caused by an electrical cord that had been run beneath the carpeting.

Windstorm or Tornado Advice

Very basic advice and some simple steps can substantially reduce wind damage to a building includes recommendations to trim back, cable-tie, or remove trees close to the building and have an arborist (tree specialist) inspect the health of large trees near the building.

See WIND DAMAGED BUILDINGS topic home page.

Building Damage Assessment, Prevention, Repair Research

 


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Continue reading at BUILDING DEFECTS LISTS or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

Or see BUILDING DAMAGE ASSESSMENT & REPAIR FAQs - questions & answers posted originally at this page.

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Recommended Articles

 

Suggested citation for this web page

BUILDING DAMAGE ASSESSMENT & REPAIR at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.


Or see this

INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES: ARTICLE INDEX to BUILDING DAMAGE, DISASTER, REPAIRS

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INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES: ARTICLE INDEX to BUILDING STRUCTURES

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Citations & References

In addition to any citations in the article above, a full list is available on request.



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