We get dozens of calls a year from people with water problems...water in the basement, sump pump failures, leaky roof, damp walls, etc..... There are a few action steps that people should take immediately to minimize the damage. We are going to detail some of the most important first steps on this blog that should help you and minimize your insurance loss.
The exact first step depends on the specific circumstances, but the basic concept is always the same; Stop The Water! Do it anyway you can. The source should be easily identifiable, if it's a pipe problem, shut off the water valve; if it's a roof problem, get a bucket and some sort of tarp to cover the hole. Whatever the situation is you want to find out where the water is coming from and slow it down. This will hopefully contain the problem to what has already been done and keep it from spreading. And who knows, depending on the next steps it could keep this from being a claim at all.
If you can't stop the water yourself call a professional. Most plumbers are equipped to handle emergencies fairly quickly. It's part of the job description. If one can't make it right away, call another because time matters.
Once you have the water stopped and, hopefully, contained you need to start getting rid of it. If you're in the middle of a tropical storm or are without power this will be more difficult, but no less important. Let's start with the best case scenario that water got in, but isn't pooled up and things are just damp. Get a dehumidifier and several fans (standard box fans are best) to the area and turn them on. If there was carpet involved and it's not too bad you can pull it up by the corners and start drying that as well. Getting circulating air underneath damp carpet and pads will help the situation. It will take hours and possibly days depending on the extent of the water.
If you have standing water the situation is a little harder. In the past I have borrowed a portable generator from a neighbor. If you call around there's a good chance someone has one. Use it to run your sump pump to get rid of the water. When my basement flooded we pushed the standing water to the sump hole and had the generator keep the pump on. Once the standing water is gone proceed to trying to dry it out with fans, a shop vac and dehumidifiers. Anything will help.
If the job is too much, or too dirty in the case of sewer backups, then you should call a water restoration service. There are a lot of them and they're in the phone book, or online. Just type in your zip code and "water restoration" in Google or Yahoo!. If it's a heavy storm there could be a wait list. Get on that list...and then call more. Time is important. Usually they can get out within three hours and will bring industrial size fans and dehumidifiers. Depending on the extent of the damage they might also cut holes in your drywall to make sure there is no moisture behind your walls that could lead to more problems down the line.
If you have to call the insurance company and get a claim started just tell them everything that happened and what steps you have taken to start the clean up process. They should be pleased. These are steps they would probably tell you to take anyway and you've already gotten underway. Most restoration companies work closely with insurance carriers so they will usually have a preapproved idea of what things cost.
Up to this point we haven't really touched on the homeowners insurance aspect of all this. Well here it is. If you can clean up and dry out the area yourself you will have saved yourself the pain of a claim. First there is the deductible which is your responsibility, and then there is the fact that you and your home now have a water loss on the record. You want to avoid that, if you can, because more and more companies will automatically charge you extra if you have a water loss or just decline you altogether.
If you can't avoid a claim, don't worry about it, your agent should be able to help you through the process, but remember, no matter how good your insurance company is, the claim process is always going to be worse than not having a claim at all.
Call me if you want more information or if you have more questions.
Cheers.
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