If you had water come into your basement like I did you may have some issues to deal with. Here are some suggestions.
What to Do When Heavy Rain Hits Your Home
After a major rainstorm, many homeowners find themselves dealing with unwanted water inside their home. Before you panic, there are two important things to sort out: which type of insurance coverage applies, and what steps you can take right now to limit the damage.
Flood or Water Backup? It Matters More Than You Think
Not all water damage is covered the same way — and the key question is simply: where did the water come from?
If water entered through your windows, doors, or came in at ground level from outside, that is generally considered a flood loss and would fall under flood coverage.
If water entered through your foundation, backed up through a floor drain, came from a sump pump overflow or failure, or backed up through your plumbing, that is considered a water backup loss and falls under a separate water backup endorsement.
Standard homeowner policies typically exclude both. If you’re not sure whether you have flood or water backup coverage, now is a great time to review your policy — before the next storm.
Minor Water Intrusion — Act Fast to Dry It Out
For smaller amounts of water that didn’t sit long, you can often handle the drying process yourself. Get fans running to move air across the wet surfaces. Set up a dehumidifier to pull moisture out of the air. Lower your thermostat to 69°F — cooler air holds less humidity and helps your HVAC work alongside the dehumidifier to dry the space more effectively.
Crawl Space Water
If your crawl space took on water and this is not a normal occurrence, pump it out with a submersible pump, circulate air underneath, and it will typically dry out just fine.
However, if your crawl space floods every time it rains heavily, that is a recurring drainage problem that won’t resolve itself. In that case, you should strongly consider installing a sump pump system designed to keep the crawl space dry on an ongoing basis. Also make sure you have gutters moving water away from your foundation.
Basement Water
Start by removing any wet boxes, furniture, or belongings immediately — soggy cardboard and fabric hold moisture and speed up mold growth. Set up fans to move air and run a dehumidifier. Lower the thermostat to 69°F. If carpet got wet, it may need to come up — wet carpet traps moisture against the subfloor and is one of the leading causes of mold in basements.
When to Call a Restoration Company
If water was more than 1 inch deep and sat for more than a few hours, your drywall has very likely absorbed significant moisture. Drywall cannot be fully dried with fans alone and will typically need to be removed to prevent mold from growing inside the wall cavity. In these situations, we strongly recommend calling a licensed water damage restoration company. They have the tools and expertise to properly assess and remediate the damage.
Questions about your coverage? Reach out to our office — we’re happy to review your policy and make sure you have the protection you need. If you need to make a claim for Water Back-up under your policy here is a link to our carriers claims pages: https://www.millenniumbrokers.com/billing-claims/