What to do if your pipes burst and how you can help prevent it from happening

<p>Cleanup started Monday at one of the first buildings to deal with damage related to this week’s cold snap. “Never assume that bad things won’t happen to you. Bring prepared is the most important thing you can do,” Jim Moody told Channel 2′s Courtney Francisco . His condo inside an Atlanta skyscraper flooded when the sprinkler system froze in the freezing temperatures. Water flooded everything in its path 35 floors down. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks ] “The building really jumped on it, but the damage was done,” Moody said. Repair crews with All Dry NE Atlanta were in and out of the building all day. The owner, Kellen Stennett, said the first thing to do if this happens at your home is to shut off the water main. “If you’re in an apartment or condo, you’re going to have one, hopefully, inside your unit,” Stennett said. He said once you build a towel dam to stop the water from moving around the home, take video and pictures right away for the insurance company. “You can start to get it up off the ground with a shop vac or something, wet vac, as you’re phoning an emergency services company,” Stennett said. He said the repair crew will likely bring in industrial fans to dry the walls and floors. That can take a week. Add to that, repairs and replacement time. He said to try to prevent it from happening to you and your neighbors, open your faucets to allow water to drip out. “You definitely want to drip as many as you can,” Stennett said. “Make sure those pipes are insulated, especially if they’re in an attic or crawl space.” He said opening the cabinets that cover pipes can help warm air flow around them. He said it’s also important to ensure the temperature inside does not dip below 65 degrees. Moody said insurance companies are going to want receipts to prove you paid for the items you list as destroyed in the flood and for services paid for during the cleanup and replacement process. Agents warned him not to throw anything damaged away until the reimbursement check arrives. “Just make sure everything is documented,” Moody said. TRENDING STORIES: [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter ]</p>