Water Damage Restoration in the Lafayette 70503 District

How close is 70503 to the middle of Lafayette?

At about 3 km from downtown by ZIP centroid, 70503 is one of the closest city districts to the core. That closeness is useful for planning. A crew working in the city can often reach a building in this district without a long drive, and the owner is told the route on the phone.

Closeness does not change the standard of the work. The steps are the same as in every district: the power is checked, the source is found, the water is removed and the structure is dried. The records are kept in the same format for each building.

How did the August 2016 record rain reach this district?

The Lafayette station of the US Climate Reference Network recorded 22.89 inches over 11 and 12 August 2016, an all-time record two-day total for that station. The city-wide flood history of that event applies to this district. It does not tell the crew how much water reached any one building, and that is found on the first visit.

The city-parish public works estimate of more than 1,500 homes, businesses and other structures under water in the first week is a parish-wide figure. A separate ten-year retrospective reported nearly 2,000 homes. Neither is a count for 70503, and neither should be read as one.

The owner should keep the wet side of the house closed and the dry side open once the water is found. The crew explains which doors and cabinets to open on arrival, because airflow changes the drying plan. Removing wet items from the floor early is helpful, but anything that is still plugged in or near water should be left for the crew to assess.

Who approves a repair here?

A repair in this district may need a permit, and the permit office for the address decides. Ask the office before a repair that changes the framing, the wiring or the plumbing begins, and keep the answer in writing. The site does not state a permit rule for this district, because none was confirmed for Lafayette.

The crew can describe the repair in plain terms, which helps the office answer quickly. The crew does not decide the permit question, and it does not assume the work is exempt.

What is the first thing the crew checks in a district like this?

The crew starts with the power and the source. Where the water came in through a garage, a door or a low window, the crew checks the entry and the floor beyond it. Where a drain is the source, the crew handles the water as contaminated and keeps the room closed off until the cleanup is done.

After the water is out, the crew reads the wall base and the framing. The readings are kept on each visit, and the owner receives the record. That record is the document the insurer reads, so it is kept with the policy papers.