It can happen at virtually any time and it's one of a property owner's worst nightmares: home flooding! Water damage from a backed up sewer, broken water pipe, ice dam, overflowing creek or any one of a number of other reasons can quickly destroy belongings and the structural integrity of a building; it's up to YOU to mitigate the damage as much as possible before professional help arrives. Here are some fast response strategies that can alleviate some of the long-term effects of home flooding disasters.

Have a plan in place: Take some time to work out a family emergency response plan BEFORE flooding occurs. Things can be replaced, but precious people cannot: so make sure everyone knows what to do and where to meet following disaster. Make a priority list of what should be removed first in case of flooding.

If there is sewage in your flood water, evacuate people and pets from the house immediately. Avoid any kind of direct contact with the sewage and contact a disaster cleanup company for emergency services: the risks to your health are significant under these circumstances. If water does not contain sewage, proceed with the following steps.

Remove irreplaceable valuables: Get family treasures and expensive items such as photographs, paintings, etc out of the house immediately and place them in a secure location to dry. Remove electronics if possible and as many of your home's moveable contents such as clothing, and hang them in the sun to dry.

Immediately remove colored magazines and similar items from wet floors and furniture since they will leave dye behind.

Mop and blot as much of the water as possible, but NEVER attempt to get the water up by using a vacuum cleaner.

Starting the drying process as quickly as possible can literally save thousands of dollars in replacement costs: open all windows in winter to expedite drying and turn on the air conditioning during the summer months.