Thread: Flood inspection

With all the rain and flooding here in Central PA. I got a call from a guy who in the midst of recovering from loosing everything in the flood. FEMA and the insurance company are giving him a run around. So he wanted me to inspect the place to show the officials that it is a total loss. I feel bad for the guy so I said I would come and take a look.
What do I say? This place is so full of mold it would never be clean again. Fuel oil is everywhere, the well head was loose. Septic backed up....
Has any one done a review like this?
I think I'll just make a statement on my letterhead that lists some of the issues and say that it would be less expensive to tear down and rebuild above the flood plane.
What do you think?

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I would only make that statement if I had completed the pricing exercise for the demo, new construction and land acquisition. Otherwise, there is a good chance of doing a serious disservice to the client.

Originally Posted by Chuck Miller

I think I'll just make a statement on my letterhead that lists some of the issues and say that it would be less expensive to tear down and rebuild above the flood plane.
What do you think?

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Hi Chuck,

I would treat it as any other Home Inspection.

Just a lot more Remove, Replace and Contact a Competent Professional for Testing , Remediation .

They will come to the conclusion to tear it down and buy the contaminated lot.
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Got a few like that in eastern PA.
I just document everyting.
Refer to a specialist(s) for costs and re-do recommendations.
It will take a bit longer.
I understand that most inspectors can tell if something is worth fixing... but unless you are a structural engineer, general contractor, plumber, electrician, and mold specialist rolled into one, I would be real cautious about recommending tear down of a whole home.

I have done a good amount of work like this first with Katrina in Mississippi and then in Nashville after the May 2010 flooding.

First, it sounds like the person did not have flood insurance; otherwise the insurance company would most likely not be a problem.

Second, FEMA is limited to the amount of money they can provide. I think it is around $43,000 per address. This figure changes so it might be correct. FEMA will not replace the home if it is a total loss.

Third, if they have flood insurance then FEMA will not give them anything.

You need to also make the owner understand that you will be documenting everything, but that is no guarantee that anything will be done. You are just a third party and your job is to document what you find.

Thanks for the insight guys, this will certainley be one to learn from.
That's why this is such a great job. There is always something different and something to learn.
We've had 3 days of sunshine now, life is good.

Would it not be better to steer the potential customer to an independent adjuster who could provide prices and is familiar with the insurance coverage as well as speaking the insurance companies language? It seems this is out of the typical (myself included) home inspector's niche.
I can document what is wrong but translating that into government and insurance terms is beyond the average home owners ability.
JMHO

Years ago there was a large wildfire that burned a lot of houses here, and some of the people hired independent insurance consultants to help deal with their insurance companies and FEMA. From what I could tell, the consultants were pretty helpful.