Flood damage do's and don'ts

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) - The flood waters in Southern New England are finally receding, but the damage has already been done.

Now, thousands of homeowners are left cleaning up the mess, and many don't have insurance to help cover the cost. Without flood insurance, many homeowners are facing thousands of dollars in damage.

But if you try to clean up the mess yourself to save money, you may be in for even more expenses down the road.

For those of you who don't have flood insurance, according to insurance agents, your homeowners does not cover water damage from rain.

According to insurance experts the federal government allows for all RI to have flood insurance, however only 14,000 of the 400,000 homes actually do.

"Especially for homeowners in RI who don't live near a river, creek or the ocean they think, oh, I'm immune from flooding where in fact it can happen anywhere," said Mark Male, President of Independent Insurance Agents of RI.

To save money, many homeowners clean up the damage on their own, but beware, mold remediation specialists say not cleaning properly immediately could cost you more down the road-in terms of mold.

Eric Anderson, President of Enviro Clean said, "The process to abate the mold is more costly then just drying out the home in the beginning.

Beware of who you hire to clean up the water damage. Often times, disasters, bring out scam artists, so make sure the company you hire is certified in mold remediation and sanitation cleanup.

The federal government was in Rhode Island on Tuesday, checking out the damage. It could take weeks, even months for F.E.M.A. to decide whether or not to provide financial assistance to homeowners.

Click here for more information on flood insurance