Some ideas I was trying to put together earlier after watching the
news:

Severe and prolonged flooding.

Damage done:

Foundation movement.
Hygiene.
Wiring.
Plumbing.
Plastering.
Furniture.


Other Problems:

No food storage or cooking facilities.
Having to live elsewhere.
Loss of mementoes.
Splitting up families.
Employment difficulties.

Foundation movement:

Be careful what you sign when the insurance people send out loss
adjusters. You need to be sure that the foundations haven't moved
before signing away any potential claims with a settlement with the
insurers that just gives you funds for a clean up.

Hygiene.

If you have had your home awash then the sewage system will have
backfired on you. If the flood levels were above the toilet pan,
expect the worst. But even low levels will have brought in unknown
possibilities.

Soft furnishings will need hosing down and drying out. They will
probably be ruined but leaving them to rot will be a depressing and
smelly experience. Rinse the dirt out of them and get them outside to
dry.

The above goes for all clothing and the like that has got wet. The
main problem in washing clothing is that there will be no electricity
in areas badly affected by flooding.

A secondary issue is that even in laundrettes where there is
electricity the problems will be so bad that the drums will often be
filthy when you come to use them. I don't know why that should be but
some people have no idea.

After getting the place cleared the walls and floors need hosing down.
A pressure washer and lots of Dettol is a must.

Electrical items that have been immersed in water are likely to be
dangerous to use. It might be possible to salvage them if prompt
attention is given. Washing machines and the like may be redeemable if
the coils to the motors are cleaned and dried.

Anything more on that subject is speculation.

Wiring:

I am no expert on plumbing or wiring but...

Any wiring covered with water, under floorboards for example, will
probably need replacing. In theory any wires with only the sleeving
immersed should be OK but a pinprick cut in that sleeving will have
allowed ingress. Of course the individual wires inside the sleeve will
also be sleeved and two of these will also need to have been
compromised before they can short. And one of them has to be the
"Live" wire.

Any wires that have connection boxes and other open ends that were
submerged will have to be replaced. In fact it is difficult to ensure
a good job has been done without renewing all the wiring in the areas
concerned.

Anyone care to take on where I left off? Some advice about plumbing
and plastering would be an idea but the wiring needs are probably
paramount for anyone without insurance.