KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City area saw heavy rain Monday night into Tuesday, causing problems for homeowners.
The area was pounded by rain and basements took a beating.
As sump pumps are already overworked, more showers are on the way.
"After a few days, we'll start what we call the flood gates open, so we're kind of in that preparation time right now," Bryson Conner, with the Frontier Restoration Field Operations, said.
Calls began coming in Tuesday morning, but Conner said they will be drowning in calls over the next few days.
"The phones start ringing off the hook and all the insurance restoration companies in the area get so far backed up, that basically we have a list," Conner said. "And so we're having to start at the top and work down our list and get to each flood as fast as we can."
Flooded basements are one of the main things Frontier Restoration in Olathe handles.
"We are actually already four calls down, we got the whole crew out. And so really right now where we're standing, the next calls that come in, we'll get our project manager out to get eyes on it, to be able to walk the whole situation with the homeowner and so that they know what they're dealing with," Conner said. "Because it might be another day before we're able to get out there and get them back to normal."
After 48-72 hours, standing rainwater in your home will start to cause mold, so it's important to call the experts for help as soon as possible.
"The biggest thing we would do is tell the homeowner the more you can do to triage the situation is the better," Conner said.
Whether your basement is finished or unfinished, you should check it often to make sure there's no moisture.
If there is, Conner said to move any furniture and other items out of the way. However, if you suspect that mold is already forming, Conner said homeowners should not do anything at all, but call the experts.
"So, I've been in this industry for about 5 years now and kind of where we're reaching now and the reason kind of why my stress levels are starting to rise, is just for the time period where we've had this constant rain," Conner said. "And that's where my main worry is coming from, is just that time has been so long now where those sump pumps have been put under so much work that they can only take so much before they start to fail."
Conner suggests homeowners check to make sure their sump pump is working. He also said if you don't have one, purchasing a secondary battery backup would be a good idea.
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