What To Do When Your Basement Floods

Few emergencies panic homeowners as much as a basement flood…and for good reason! A flooded basement is dangerous and can cause serious damage to your home. 

Basement floods are common, so make sure you know exactly what to do if you head downstairs and step into standing water.

Stay Safe

The first step in any home emergency like a basement flood is to make sure you and your family are safe.

• Shut off any power around the flooded area (as long as your circuit breaker is not located in the flooded area!)
• Never enter a flooded basement when the power is turned on
• If you aren’t sure how to shut off power, call your power company immediately

Remember, flood waters are dangerous and can put you at risk of exposure to waste, chemicals, and other toxins depending on what was present in your basement when it flooded. Avoid the flooded area and call emergency services immediately.

Call Your Insurance Company

Once you notice a flood in your basement, calling your home insurance company is the ideal next step. Your policy may have specific parameters you need to work within for repairs in order to have the damage covered.

It’s always a good idea to have a copy of your home insurance policy saved digitally so you can access it away from home.

Assess The Situation

Once you can safely enter the area that has flooded, determining the source of the water is the next step. Has a pipe burst? Is the flooding happening after a severe rainstorm or snow melt? Has an appliance malfunctioned? Is a drain clogged?

If your basement has a floor drain (as many do), ensure it isn’t clogged so it can stay open and help drain the water.

Water Removal

When our restoration technicians remove water from a flooded area, we analyze your home to choose the most efficient method to remove water and begin the drying process. The goal is always to minimize the amount of disruption to your home while safely restoring it.

A small flood can often be cleaned up using your home’s sump pump and a wet vac, but anything more than an inch of standing water really should be left to the professionals.

It’s extremely important to remove water as soon after flooding occurs as possible. A damp environment like your flooded basement encourages mold growth, which is dangerous and can damage your home.

Prevent A Future Basement Flood

What caused your basement to flood? Depending on the answer, you can take precautions to avoid having your basement flood again. 

That can look like repairing a crack in your home’s foundation, replacing or upgrading your sump pump, waterproofing your basement, and even changing your home’s landscaping and gutter system to keep water out of your house.

When To Call In The Professionals

We’re always here to help when unwanted water makes its way into your home. Our restoration experts can not only help you find what caused your basement flood, we use precise scientific methods to remove the water and dry your home.

Working with professional water damage restoration experts is vital if you find standing water in your basement that is more than an inch deep. Mold or mildew can develop fast, even after you remove the water, so don’t take chances on the safety of your home!

Lake City Restoration provides water damage cleanup, storm damage repair, and other necessary restoration services year-round.