Emergency
Storm Surge & Tidal Flooding Lake Helen, FL
Surge and tidal water rise from the ground up and carry salt and silt with them. Anything porous they soaked is treated as contaminated. Outside water that rose into the building is treated as contaminated, and porous material it reached is removed. Salt left behind in materials keeps pulling water from the air, so it is cleaned out with the rest.
Say where the water came from when you call
Often needed alongside
- Emergency Water Extraction
Standing water removed before it soaks into slab, block and flooring - the first step after any failure, and the one humid air makes urgent.
- Wind-Driven Rain Intrusion
Wind pushes rain sideways through window frames, stucco and the base of the wall. The roof can hold and the house still take water.
- Sewer & Septic Backflow Cleanup
Heavy rain and a high water table can push sewage back through the lowest drain in the building. Clear or murky, it is handled as sewage.
Frequently asked questions
Why are the board edges soft on a board-and-batten wall of an old Lake Helen house?
Board-and-batten keeps rain out only while each narrow batten covers the joint between two wide boards. As a batten shrinks, splits or pulls loose, rain runs into the joint and soaks the board edges beside it, and the cooled room behind slows their drying. Many of Lake Helen's historic houses use this siding, so checking each batten's fit after a dry spell is worthwhile.
Does yard shade affect a Lake Helen septic field?
It can. Lake Helen has some 998 homes with septic systems on record. A drain field depends on the ground above it giving water back to the air between storms, and sun and grass help it do so. Under the dense shade of old yard trees the ground stays wet longer, so after a run of July rain the field has less room for the household's water.
What should be checked under a manufactured home on a shaded Lake Helen lot?
The ground and the belly wrap. About one Lake Helen structure in nine is a manufactured home, and on a lot under heavy shade the soil beneath the skirting stays wet long after a July storm. The cooled ducts in the belly hang in that damp air, and water condenses on them. Clear skirting vents and a sheet of plastic over the soil keep that air drier.
These questions also sit on the Lake Helen page, next to its numbers.