As an 800 year storm descended upon Texas, 19 trillion gallons of water fell. A year’s worth of water flooded and displaced 17,000 people in a span of 5 days.

The people of Texas now rely more than ever on effective, safe removal and treatment of floodwater from their homes and the surrounding areas. There are three categories of floodwater according to the IICRC:

Category 1. This is liquid from a clean and sanitary source, such as faucets, toilet tanks, drinking fountains, etc. But, category one can quickly degrade into category two.

Category 2. This category of liquid used to be called grey water, and is described as having a level of contaminates that may cause illness or discomfort if ingested. Sources include dishwasher or washing machine overflows, flush from sink drains, and toilet overflow with some urine but not feces.

Category 3. This is the worst classification and is grossly unsanitary. It could cause severe illness or death if ingested. It used to be called black water, and sources include sewer backup, flooding from rivers or streams, toilet overflow with feces, and stagnant liquid that has begun to support bacterial growth.

Much of the water left by the flooding, specifically in Houston, sat in homes for days as the flooded bayous and waterways slowly drained. This type of situation calls for not only water removal in a timely manner as to avoid further damage to the homes themselves, but also for effective treatment of that water. Fast acting and fully thorough water removal and treatment is essential to avoid property damage and, above all else, loss of life.

On August 29th, Griffin President and CEO David Singleton was interviewed in an article for Engineering News-Record at the height of the flood.

“Clearly, the situation in Houston is dire,” says David Singleton, president and CEO of locally-based subcontractor Griffin Dewatering. “We are unable to get to many of the sites where we have active dewatering occurring. Many projects have been impacted. The city is literally impassable at this point.”

You can read the whole article here.

The water has since receded in most areas, and the people of Houston have begun to rebuild their homes and their lives. As Houston gets back on its feet, Griffin will continue to lead the way in dewatering and water treatment for businesses that need help getting back on their feet, too.