Flood Cleanup

A leaking pipe and a flooded street can put the same few inches of water on a living room floor, but the cleanup is not the same job. Water from outside has crossed yards, roads and storm drains before it reaches the house. It brings mud, fuel, lawn chemicals and sewage from overwhelmed systems along with it, and everything it soaks has to be handled with that in mind.

Where flood water comes from in South Florida

Most flooding here arrives in one of a few ways. During hurricane season, June 1 to November 30, tropical storms and hurricanes can bring storm surge along the coast and intense rain inland. Summer downpours can overwhelm drainage in low-lying streets and parking lots. In some coastal neighborhoods, seasonal high tides, often called king tides, push salt water up through drains and onto roads even on sunny days.

Any of these can send water under doors, through garage slabs and into ground-floor condos. The source changes the setting, not the response: the water is treated as Category 3, the most contaminated class in the restoration industry’s water categories.

Before going back inside

Safety comes before salvage. If the building shows structural damage such as a sagging ceiling, shifted walls or a cracked foundation, wait until an inspector or other qualified professional says it is safe to enter.

• Electricity. Do not walk through standing water to reach the breaker panel. The CDC recommends calling an electrician to shut the power off if reaching the main switch means stepping into water. Stay clear of downed lines outside.
• Gas. A gas smell means shutting the main valve if it can be done safely, opening windows and leaving right away.
• Animals. Flooding displaces snakes and other animals. FEMA’s cleanup advice specifically says to watch for them while moving debris.
• Generators. Portable generators belong outside, at least 20 feet from windows, doors and vents, according to the CDC. Carbon monoxide has no smell, and a garage is not a safe place to run one.
• Protective gear. Long pants, sturdy boots, gloves, goggles and a mask cut down on cuts and contact with contaminated mud.

Why flood water changes the scope

With a clean supply line leak caught early, drywall and even carpet can sometimes be dried in place. Flood water removes most of that flexibility. Porous materials absorb the contaminants, not just the moisture, so drying them does not make them clean.

That is why flood jobs usually include flood cuts. A crew snaps a level line on every affected wall, somewhere above the highest water mark, and removes the drywall below it. FEMA’s guidance for flooded homes calls for taking soaked wallboard out to at least a foot above the water mark, along with wet insulation. The open wall then lets framing dry and be cleaned rather than staying sealed with contaminated material inside.

Carpet and pad are almost always discarded. Laminate and many engineered floors usually follow. Tile laid directly on a concrete slab often survives, although grout lines and the slab underneath still need cleaning and drying.

Mud, silt and the cleaning stage

Receding water leaves sediment behind, sometimes a thin film and sometimes several inches in garages and ground floors. It is shoveled or squeegeed out while still wet, because dried silt turns to dust that spreads through the building.

Once the heavy material is gone, remaining surfaces such as studs, slab, tile and cabinet frames that can be kept are washed to remove residue. Cleaning comes before drying. Drying dirty framing simply locks the contamination in place and gives mold an easy start in a humid climate.

Drying what stays

With walls opened and soaked materials out, dehumidifiers and air movers go to work on framing and concrete. A slab that sat under water for a day or more holds a lot of moisture, and with Florida’s humidity it rarely dries on its own. Readings are taken until materials reach a normal dry level. Rebuilding over damp studs or a wet slab invites odor, mold and failed flooring later. If growth has already started, mold remediation becomes part of the work.

Outside flood water versus an interior leak

The difference matters beyond cleanup. Standard homeowners policies generally do not cover flooding from outside; that is handled under a separate flood insurance policy. Water from a burst pipe or a failed appliance is a different kind of loss, and the water damage restoration page explains how those jobs usually run.

Photograph everything first

Before a single piece of drywall or furniture goes to the curb, record the damage. FEMA recommends photos or video of the outside and inside of the building, including damaged belongings, labeled by room. Include the water line on the walls and close-ups of appliances and flooring. Once the cleanup starts, that evidence is gone.

For a full storm-season list covering what to do before and after a hurricane, see the hurricane water damage checklist. If sewage from a backed-up drain or septic system came in with the water, sewage cleanup covers what changes.