After the water goes down: safety, then evidence, then cleanup

Phase one: safety

Nothing on this page matters more than this section.

Do not enter until the water has gone down and the structure has been checked. Floodwater undermines foundations and can leave a building that looks intact structurally compromised.

Treat all electricity as live. If water reached outlets, the panel or any appliance, do not enter until the power is confirmed off at the meter and an electrician has looked at it.

Check for gas. If you smell it, leave, and call the utility from outside.

Wear protection. Boots, gloves, eye protection and a respirator. Floodwater is contaminated with fertilizer, pesticide, road oil, animal waste and, where sewers surcharge, sanitary sewage.

Never drive or walk through moving water. Colorado flash floods move fast and carry debris, and the depth of a flooded roadway is not something you can judge from a vehicle.

Phase two: evidence

Before anything is moved, cleaned or thrown away.

Photograph and video every affected room, wide and close. Capture the high-water line on the walls — that mark determines where drywall gets cut and it disappears as things dry. Photograph the exterior from all sides. Photograph contents where they sit, including items that are obviously ruined.

Make a written inventory as things are removed, with condition noted, rather than reconstructing it from memory. Keep receipts for everything: pumps, dehumidifier rental, accommodation, meals.

Then call your carrier. If you do not have flood coverage, it is still worth documenting to the same standard — some damage may fall under other parts of the policy, and you will want the record either way.

Phase three: cleanup

Water is pumped out. Mud and silt are removed while still wet, which is a genuine time constraint — dried silt bonds to surfaces and has to be scraped off.

Porous materials come out: carpet and pad, drywall cut above the high-water line, wet insulation, particleboard cabinetry and furniture, mattresses and upholstery. Hard surfaces are cleaned and then disinfected. Only after that does structural drying start, with daily moisture readings until framing and subfloor reach dry standard.

Discard all food that was exposed, including sealed cans and packaging. Do not use the water supply until the utility confirms it is safe. Have the furnace, water heater and any gas appliance inspected before use.

Full detail is on the flood cleanup page.

Rebuilding differently

If the property has flood exposure that is not going away — a creek corridor, a low-lying lot, a basement that takes groundwater every spring — restoring like for like guarantees a repeat.

Closed-cell insulation instead of fiberglass. Sealed concrete or tile instead of carpet. The furnace, water heater and electrical panel raised onto a platform above the likely water line. Flood vents where they apply. It costs more once and considerably less over three events.

The insurance reality

Standard homeowners policies exclude flood. Flood coverage comes from NFIP or a private carrier, and NFIP policies typically carry a 30-day waiting period, so buying one when the forecast turns does not help this season.

Sewer and drain backup is a separate endorsement again. Groundwater seepage is usually excluded entirely. See the insurance claims guide for what applies to which water source.

Related: snowmelt flooding, storm and flood cleanup.