Water, Fire and Mold Damage Restoration in Anaheim

Anaheim's worst flood came on March 3, 1938, when the Santa Ana River overtopped a levee at the Yorba Bridge and an eight-foot wall of water ran downstream. It swept houses into the orange groves, and in the Anaheim-area neighborhoods of Atwood and La Jolla, 43 people died. A federal report put the flooded area at 182,000 acres and the damage at about $14 million. The river had flooded parts of Anaheim before, in 1861, 1884, 1916 and 1936, and Prado Dam and stronger levees were built afterward because of it.

Fire is the other history. On October 9, 2017, the Canyon Fire 2 started along the 91 near the 241 interchange and ran through Anaheim Hills on Santa Ana winds, growing to about 7,500 acres. About 5,000 homes were under evacuation orders across Anaheim Hills, Orange, Orange Park Acres and Tustin, 13 homes in eastern Anaheim were destroyed and 21 more damaged. Homes that stood can still carry smoke and ash in attic insulation, ductwork and closets.

Burned slopes also change how rain behaves. The winters after a fire send runoff and mud toward homes below the burn that never had a drainage problem. Water that gets into a house that way is contaminated, and it gets cleaned and disinfected before any drying setup goes in.

Most Anaheim calls are inside the house. The flatlands hold a lot of postwar homes at the age when slab supply lines and old drain lines fail, and the city has a large stock of apartments where water travels between units through shared walls. We trace leaks to their source, check the units around them, and keep a separate photo and moisture record for each unit number.

Clean water losses, like a burst water heater, a washing machine hose or a supply line under a sink, are about speed. Extraction comes first, then drying with moisture readings logged every day until the structure reads dry. Federal guidance says to dry water damage within 24 to 48 hours if possible, because materials that stay wet longer usually grow mold.

Sewage backups come with older drain lines. A backup is a health hazard and gets containment, extraction, disposal of porous materials that cannot be disinfected, and cleaning and disinfection before drying. Mold, where water sat, is handled under containment with HEPA filtration.

Before a crew arrives, shut off the water at the fixture or the main, keep the power off in rooms where water reached outlets, move what you can off the floor, and photograph every wet room before anything moves. If smoke is the problem, photograph it and get it assessed before anyone cleans.

Anaheim's hotels, restaurants and attractions around the resort district run around the clock, and a water loss in a guest room or a kitchen cannot wait for morning. A failed supply line in one room reaches the rooms below and beside it. We trace it, check every affected room, contain the work so the rest of the property keeps operating, and keep a room-by-room record for the owner and the carrier. Housekeeping and engineering staff are usually the first to see it, so we work with them directly, at any hour, and keep the affected rooms out of service only as long as the readings require.

On insurance, we document the loss with photos, moisture readings and daily drying logs, estimate our own scope of work, and can bill your carrier directly for our services. Coverage questions belong to your carrier, your agent or a public adjuster you hire. We respond anywhere in Orange County, Los Angeles and Riverside around the clock, we work in English and Spanish, and the first inspection is free.