Basement floods cause chaos and devastation in your home. Aside from making your basement unusable, a flood can ruin your belongings and create severe health and safety hazards. When your basement floods, there’s no time to waste! Here are the first steps to minimize risk and damage to your home.

Step 1: Turn Off The Electricity

For your safety, do not enter a basement that has been flooded – at least not right away. Electrical wiring may be compromised. You should call a licensed electrician if you cannot access your electrical panel to turn off the electricity.

Once the area is safe and free from live electricity, you can enter the basement and begin cleaning up the mess.

Step 2: Remove The Water

First, determine the water source; once there is no more water coming in, it’s time to remove the water so you can assess the damage done to your basement. This will likely require using a pump in addition to mops and towels.

If your sump pump is working correctly, it can be used to help drain the water from your basement. If there are more than two feet of standing water, you may need the help of a professional to remove the water and dry out your basement.

You must remove the water as quickly as possible. The damp environment gives mold a chance to grow, which will only compound your property damage costs.

Step 3: Remove Any Wet Items

After the standing water is removed from your basement, it’s time to remove everything that got wet, from couches to bookshelves, and place them in an area where they can dry out, like the garage.

At this point, take inventory of any items damaged by the flood.

Step 4: Call Your Insurance

Call your insurance company and document the damage with photographs and a log of the events. Your broker will help you assess the damage and get a claim started.

Our claims number is 1-855-726-8627.

Step 5: Dry The Basement

Unfortunately, a basement will not dry on its own, and you may need industrial fans and blowers to ensure the entire area dries properly. A dehumidifier will help eliminate excess moisture in the flooring and drywall, allowing your basement to dry faster and prevent mold from growing.

If you don’t have these pieces of equipment kicking around (most homeowners don’t!), you can always reach out to local restoration companies and hardware stores to see if they offer rental units.

Basement floods can be an absolute nightmare, but the quicker you deal with the problem, the less devastation you will face in the end. Following these steps can help mitigate costly issues.

In addition to insuring your home, we are committed to helping you and your loved ones stay safe when disaster strikes. Our claims department is open to serve you when you need us the most. To make an emergency insurance claim, please call us at 1-855-726-8627.