Maxwell has seen many times how floodwaters can destroy a home. Damage caused by floods is compounded by the fact that the water is usually contaminated by such hazards as street runoff and algae. And depending on a house's location, near Tampa Bay or the Gulf, the water may be salty and, therefore, corrosive. A flooded home must be dried out and disinfected. Maxwell's crews bring in big fans to help the process.
Water can damage everything it touches.
Even expensive, built-in entertainment centers can be harmed by standing water because they are often made, in part, with particle board, says Maxwell. If kitchen cabinets are more than a few years old, newly replaced bottom cabinets won't match older, unharmed upper cabinets because the materials used won't be exact. There isn't enough material to allow it to be planed. But if water is high enough, it can seep into the wall, saturating the drywall to the point that it's easy to stick a finger through it. In such a case, the drywall must be replaced, usually up to four feet from the floor.