Water Conditions at the Olympics Explained

Sochi_WaterTweets from the journalists in Sochi for the 2014 Winter Olympics have shown just how dreadful the situations are over there. Some have been funny. However, some have been downright depressing. Through social media communications, we have learned that some of the hotels had no running water at all – due to broken water mains – and many other hotel guests were told not to use the water on their faces, because it “contains something very dangerous”. Thus, causing visitors to wash their faces and brush their teeth with bottled water. Living life like a Kardashian in Sochi, they are!

The photo above was sent by one of the journalists from her hotel room. And no, this isn’t an Instagrammed photo of their breakfast apple juice. This is water directly from the bathroom faucet. Based on this photo, this would be considered Category 2 (or maybe 3) water. Whatever the case, you would not want to drink it.

Did you know that there are 3 different categories of water damage when it comes to property damage restoration? The categories refer to the severity of contamination. Shown below is a short breakdown of the three different, in an effort to give you a better idea of what’s happening in those glasses in the picture above:

· Category 1: Water originates from a clean water source (i.e. dishwasher, ice maker, etc.).
· Category 2: Water contains significant contamination and has the potential to cause illness or discomfort if consumed or contacted by people.
· Category 3: Water is grossly contaminated and can contain pathogenic, toxigenic or other harmful agents.

Should your house ever flood, working with a restoration company that understands this concept is critically important to ensure the repairs and cleanup to your property are performed correctly so you don’t need more costly repairs down the road, or worse, the wrong job leads to a family member getting sick.

So, while the hosts of this year’s Winter Olympics are being flooded with complaints, the water damage restoration experts with Paul Davis are here to take care of your real floods in the States. No matter the category.

Here’s to a successful, competitive, and SAFE 2014 Winter Olympics!