How Salt Water Flooding Damages Wrightsville Beach Homes

11/25/2021 (Permalink)

Ocean storm surges create more damage to homes due to the corrosive nature of salt. Call SERVPRO to remediate your salt water damage.

Salt Water Complicates Remediation of Wrightsville Beach Flood Damage 

Spread along several miles of Atlantic coastline, Wrightsville Beach can be directly in the path of seasonal tropical severe weather patterns, including hurricanes. The potential of adding a storm surge to the other water threatening your home ramps up the expected intensity of the damage significantly. Using professional flooding mitigation and remediation company is even more essential when saltwater floods your home’s structure and contents. 

Proximity to one of the world’s most massive oceans escalates the probability of flood damage in Wrightsville Beach. When a severe storm system moves over the sea, it pulls water up, increasing the amount of moisture available to fall back to earth as rain. At the same time, the strong winds and tides create a protracted and sometimes violent wash of seawater onto land, otherwise known as a storm surge. 

The rain falling is saltier than usual, somewhat like the storm surge, adding the minerals to the other contaminants accelerating the flooding and harm done to homes in the storm area. Our SERVPRO crews understand how harsh and corrosive saltwater can be to structural components. Special steps beyond mere water removal and structural drying must follow to ensure that building materials do not suffer long-term damage. 

Wood or wood byproducts compose many structural components. The cellular structures of wood hold together because of a glue-like substance called lignin. Saltwater accelerated the breakdown of lignin, a process called delignification. As the lignin leaches out, the affected materials begin to weaken and eventually collapse. The fuzzy residues that look like mold seen on seaside weather wood are the lignin forced out of the solid material by the salty fluid. Saltwater also corrodes cement, bricks, and mortar. 

To limit the current and future damage caused by salt storm surge and saline-full rain SERVPRO technicians flush the damaged materials with freshwater before removal and structural drying. We contain and dispose of the contaminated floodwaters per local regulations.

SERVPRO of New Hanover is ready to respond to the specialized needs of coastal residences threatened with severe storms and consequent saltwater flooding. Call on us at (910) 762-8180 for professional help during a stressful time. 

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