So how much of a house can really be rebuilt after a home has been devastated by a flood?
Keith Moehle, who runs KM Builders in San Antonio, says more than you might think.
He says much of the basic structure of a flooded home, including the concrete slab foundation, but also including the wood studs and even some of the drywall, can generally be salvaged.
"The professionals will be removing everything that is wet inside the walls, opening them up, drying them out, removing the sheet
rock insulation, drying them out, and then treating with a moldicide and fungicide," he said.
Mehle says even the plumbing and some of the home's electrical system can also be salvaged."
Sometimes there is debris in those plugs, usually all the outlets in the water level have to be removed," he said. "The wiring is fine, all the plugs have to be opened up and cleaned out. The slow process is all the cleaning."
He says today's technology and equipment is geared to restoring as much of the home as possible. He says obviously, furniture, carpets, and appliances will be ruined and will have to be replaced, along with things like wooden cabinets.
And he says when working in a situation like that, the safety of his workers is a top priority.
"There have to be precautions taken for the workers," he said. "They all need tetanus shots. They all need to use protective equipment, because there's a lot of bacteria in these waters and in the products they have touched."