Straight advice from the dispatch deskWhat to Do in the First Hour After Water Damage
What you do before the crew arrives can save a floor, a wall, or a whole room. None of it takes the place of professional drying, but it does buy you time.
Start by stopping the water. Find the main shutoff and turn it clockwise until it stops. In older houses near downtown Willows it tends to sit in the basement along the front wall where the street line enters. In newer subdivisions, check the garage, a utility closet, or the area by the water heater. Condo and apartment owners may find their unit shutoff under a sink or behind an access panel, and building maintenance can close the riser if it comes to that.
Make the area safe. If water has reached outlets, power strips or the panel, do not wade through it to flip the breaker. Call the utility or wait for the crew. Watch the ceiling. Drywall that bulges or sags is holding water and can come down without warning, so keep people and pets out from under it.
Photograph it all before anything moves. Take wide photos of each room, then close-ups of the source, the waterline on walls, and damaged belongings. A short video walking through the house with the date on screen is even better. Your adjuster will thank you.
Get some air moving, carefully. If the electricity is safe and the water is clean, open interior doors and point a few household fans across the wet areas. Do not open windows on a hot, humid day, since you will pull more moisture into the house than you remove. In cold weather, leave the heat on so pipes stay thawed and wet materials keep releasing moisture.
Get belongings up off the floor. Carry rugs, electronics, documents and anything sentimental into a dry room. Slide aluminum foil or plastic lids under furniture legs so stain and rust do not transfer into wet carpet. Leave heavy pieces and anything built in for the crew.
Things not to do: Do not run a household vacuum on wet floors, do not turn the HVAC on high hoping it will dry things out, and do not start tearing out drywall before it has been photographed and measured. If the water came from a toilet, a floor drain or outside, assume it is contaminated and keep your hands out of it.
Then make the call. The earlier extraction begins, the more of your home stays where it is instead of going out to the curb. If any of it feels unclear, the dispatcher can talk you through it while the contractor is driving over.