Soddy-Daisy residents look at their home as water rises on Vine Street, just south of Sequoyah Access Road, on Christmas morning.After heavy rains inundated the area at Christmastime, many North Hamilton County residents were forced to combine the task of taking down holiday décor with tending to flooded basements.
Others, such as residents of the Falling Water community, were blocked from getting to their homes by rising water covering the roads. Several motorists had to be rescued from their vehicles after attempting to drive through the floodwaters covering Hixson’s Boy Scout Road.
SERVPRO, a company with three Chattanooga locations, including one in North Chattanooga, that offers water damage cleanup had people working around the clock on Christmas Day, and had more than 100 calls from Chattanooga-area residents the week after Christmas, according to Mark Leen, the company’s director of business development.
Calls came from residents scattered all over the Chattanooga area, he said, with Soddy-Daisy being among the hardest hit in the North Hamilton County region.
Many residents were unprepared to handle such a large amount of rain in a short time and were unsure what to do as the water continued to rise, especially if it started to enter their homes.
Leen recommends that people with homes prone to flooding identify where the water is entering the home and attempt to divert it using sandbags. While they may need to follow up with a professional to assess the situation, it is best to be proactive, he said.
If water does enter the home, Leen emphasized that it is not enough to just clear out the water with a Shop-Vac.
“There’s a common perception that if you get rid of the water, it’s taken care of,” he said, explaining that water will seep into Sheetrock. “It can develop into mold, which can be a real issue.”
He suggests that anyone with issues involving standing water contact a certified professional trained to test for mold, who can provide remediation if necessary.
Scenic City Plumbing owner Bob Neely said the business has been getting calls from customers on septic systems whose drains were not draining properly, a result of the ground being so saturated.
To avoid this, he suggests maintaining your field line by adding enzymes such as RID-X.
“It will eat up grease that may accumulate in the line and help keep things flowing,” Neely said.
He said he typically refers customers with basement-flooding issues to companies that specialize in the area such as AAA Basement Waterproofing. Common solutions include installing a sump pump to collect water that has accumulated in the sump basin, which handles stormwater runoff, and digging trenches around the perimeter, he said.
Email Emily Crisman at ecrisman@timesfreepress.com