Homeowners who think that water damage is a farfetched occurrence in desert and mountain communities are in for a surprise. One only needs water and some sheer stroke of misfortune and water damage and its many related inconveniences is nothing less than a stark reality of life.
Water damage is peculiarly one of the most common household occurrences that is easy to prevent on one end yet quite difficult to manage on the extremes. Water and water related problems are very common for a variety of reasons, chief among these include the relative abundance of water around us.
Water is Life
Water is ever-present in everything around us, from the trees and plant life that spring forth from the ground to the animals that graze through the plains or soar through the sky or swim the vast bodies of water. Water is an important element of the very fundamental unit of our existence – our cells. Without water various biochemical processes important to sustain and maintain life as we know it fails. Without water, cells die, tissues disintegrate, organs fail and we, as human beings, terminate our existence in the world.
Since water is virtually anywhere and everywhere, to say that there is no water in the desert is totally absurd. Water exists in a variety of forms in various phases of matter – from its more common liquid state to the solid phase and the gaseous phase known as water vapor or moisture. So, you see, even the air that we breathe contains some form of water.
Yet, to say that this kind of water is the primary source of water and water related damage in the least expected places like desert and mountain communities is completely illogical if not outright absurd. So, where does water and water related damage come from in these communities?
Water in the Desert
Desert communities will eventually have a wellspring where households will be getting much of their water needs from. It may include a natural oasis in the middle of the barren landscape or an integral part of a massive waterworks system by a nearby local water utility facility. The thing to understand here is that as long as there are human beings and other living things in a certain place, it is inevitable that water will have to be readily available lest human existence will cease to exist.
Having said this, homes in desert communities will definitely have some water pipes or tubing that conveys water from its source to the various parts of the house where it is to be used. Such common places include the kitchen, bathroom and restroom. One cannot expect to see a garden in the desert otherwise an abundant supply of water will have to be sourced for this purpose alone.
Another possible, yet unlikely, source of water is the occurrence of some weather phenomena in the desert regions. Owing to the relative extremes in the desert, storms can bring in substantial amount of rainfall to literally ‘wet’ the dry and scorching landscape.
Water in Mountain Communities
Unlike desert communities that will have to source their water supply from somewhere, communities in the mountain all need to do is to drill a hole in the ground directly beneath them, insert a few segments of water pipes and they will already have a source of water from the mountain’s water shed.
With the considerable elevation of mountains, rain and snow are not far from occurring. As such, these weather phenomenon can bring in additional water to the mountain community. Adequate rainfall is a substantial source of water for various mountain and mountainside communities. In snow-capped mountains, snow is fundamentally a major source of water. In this case, water exists in its solid form known as ‘ice’ such that exposure to extreme temperatures can render it to melt and go back to its liquid form.
Water Damage where you Least Expect It
Now, the main idea about all of the things we have presented so far is to let the average homeowner understand that water and water related damage is a very common household phenomenon, wherever you may live. As long as your house contains or is supplied with water, whether sourced from natural means or by man-made marvels, water damage is bound to occur, one way or the other.
In desert communities, household water damage can result from broken and leaking water pipes and valves as well as incompetent air conditioning systems. Inclement weather systems can also bring in substantial rainfall which the house may not be entirely able to withstand. Remember that most of the houses in deserts are designed not necessarily to protect its occupants from rain but more from the extreme temperatures of the desert sun.
Mountain and mountainside communities will have a much higher likelihood of water damage occurrences because of the greater abundance of water in these areas. Just like those in the desert, households in the mountains can expect a variety of water damage from broken and leaking water pipes, valves and fixtures. Temporary heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems can also fail to the point that they become one of the major sources of water damage.
Adequate rainfall can bring in substantial amounts of water such that mudslides and landslides are not far from happening. In such cases, the enormity of the water damage will be directly proportional to the gravity of the mudslide or landslide. In some cases, incessant rainfall can result to flooding even in mountain communities that water damage is a guaranteed occurrence.
Snowcapped mountains can produce a variety of water and water related damages to the different households situated in its boundaries. Summer heat can quickly melt away the snow and turn them into ravaging bodies of water. Ice-covered lakes, ponds, and rivers will turn into deep and massive bodies of water which can provide significant levels of water damage threat to surrounding structures.
And just like their counterparts in coastal communities and even in highly urbanized centers, households in these least expected areas all fall victim to the many damaging effects of water on property and human health and life.
What to Do
Wherever your home may be located, be it near bodies of water or in highly industrialized centers or even in the scorching desert and high up in the mountains, water and water related damage is something that you need to address as a homeowner. For as long as you are alive, you will need water; and as long as you require water, the threat of water and water related damage is very real and ever-present.
Here are a few simple things you might want to consider in either decreasing the likelihood of such water related phenomenon from ever occurring or managing and minimizing the extensive effects of the water damage to both property and health.
1. Invest in a good and reliable water professional company who will help you get started with how you can provide adequate protection for your property and health. It may be wise to seek professional help especially on matters of installing appropriate devices that can successfully detect any form of water damage in one’s home. Ask them to conduct a yearly inspection and diagnostic assessment of your water systems to ensure that every single component is working just fine.
2. Although prohibitive, extending the coverage of your home insurance to include water and water related damages is actually a very good thing to do. Most home insurance companies now include a variety of provisions in their contracts to give homeowners the added advantage of being able to secure their property from future water and water related damages.
3. If your home has a basement, invest in an inexpensive yet very reliable sump pump to be installed by a professional. These pumps work by automatically removing water once the threat of flooding in the basement is detected. If you do not have a basement or already have a sump pump, invest in a secondary or backup sump pump to help you with water removal and water extraction activities from anywhere in your home. The portability of these backup sump pumps provides the convenience of removing water from virtually anywhere in the home. Remember that the key to minimizing water damage is in the prompt removal of water.
4. Consult a professional house builder or renovation expert to include provisions for water management in your home. The design and construction, including the lay-out, of your home’s water systems will ultimately spell the difference whether water damage will be a common occurrence or not.
5. Learn all you can about how to effectively manage water problems and control or minimize the extent of the resulting damage. Learn the ropes of how to perform basic water damage cleanup on a variety of household items or objects such as appliances, devices, equipment, upholstery, furniture, fixtures, documents, artworks, carpets, and clothing, among others. Learn also the different techniques in water damage restoration that can save you hundreds if not thousands of dollars in water damage restoration projects. You have to understand that knowledge about something is technically like having 50% of the work already done.
Now, these tips are mere points to help you get started with your water damage activities. What is more important is your realization that it does not matter whether you live in the desert, the mountains, or near bodies of water. What matters is the realization that we all need water and that this need will always entail facing the threat of water damage for as long as we live.
