Water Damage Michigan- Sewage Cleanup Following a Flood
All of the taco eating, margarita drinking, and tequila shooting festivities surrounding Cinco De Mayo can be a lot of fun, especially if you choose to host a party at your home. But one thing we hate doing after a good party is dealing with the mess and cleanup process the next day. For one of our clients, Kristin in Gilbert, a fun fiesta turned into a nasty sewage cleanup—a bad end to the evening.
An Unexpected After-party Mess
The Cinco de Mayo party went great, and all of Kristin’s friends had a great time. She went to bed with the intention of cleaning up the next day. However, when she woke up on May 6, she found something unexpected. The pipe to her toilet had backed up, causing raw sewage to leak into the bathroom. Worse, the flood had expanded throughout her home. Kristin was disgusted, but she couldn’t just run away. She had to do something.
Raw Sewage Leaks Are Dangerous Situations
A raw sewage leak in your home can have seriously negative health effects on the people who are exposed to it. On average, more than 7 million people each year suffer illnesses caused by raw sewage, according to the EPA. Several hundred thousand of those exposed will become severely ill or die. While some people get sick from drinking water contaminated with raw sewage, the majority of people in those numbers are dealing with sewage water exposure.
Breathing in Raw Sewage
The most immediate danger to your health during a raw sewage cleanup process are the gasses emitted from the dirty water. There are several different types of toxic gasses emitted by raw sewage that you should know about, including hydrogen sulfide and methane, the two most commonly emitted gasses. Sulfide can cause disorientation, sickness, and even death in high doses. Methane is a fast-acting, suffocating gas that can produce unconsciousness and death, even in small doses. Water damage in Michigan is something to not play around with!
Coming in Contact with Raw Sewage
There are several microorganisms—called pathogenic organisms, or more commonly, pathogens—that make their home in our waste. Coming in contact with raw sewage is hard for a homeowner to avoid if they choose to tackle the sewage cleanup process alone. There are several different lethal pathogens you should be aware of: e-coli, salmonella, campylobacter, intestinal amoebas, shigella, and even cholera. It’s extremely important to avoid any contact with raw sewage at all costs.
Contact a Professional for Sewage Cleanup
Whether you’re planning a Cinco de Mayo party or another gathering, keep an eye on your plumbing. Toilets can backup, and before you know it, you’re dealing with a nasty sewage cleanup. And then you’re dealing with the aftermath.
Remember that sewage is something you want to avoid. If your toilets or septic system starts to backup and floods your home, don’t plan to attack the mess yourself. Instead, contact Doan Restoration, your professional water restoration Michigan. We’ll handle the cleanup for you and make your home safe again. And since we’re available 24/7, we’ll help avoid potential mold and structural damage from standing water.
