Practical advice from the dispatch deskYour First Hour After a Leak or Flood
What you do before the crew arrives can save a floor, a wall, or a whole room. None of this replaces professional drying, but it buys you time.
Start by stopping the water. Find the main shutoff and turn it clockwise until it stops. In older houses near downtown Claxton 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. If you live in a condo or apartment, the shutoff for your unit may be under a sink or behind an access panel, and building maintenance can shut the riser if needed.
Make the area safe. If water is near outlets, power strips or the electrical panel, do not walk through it to reach the breaker. Call the utility or wait for the crew. Keep an eye on the ceiling. Bulging or sagging drywall is holding water and can drop without warning, so keep everyone, pets included, out from beneath it.
Document everything before it 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.
Start air moving, carefully. If the power is safe and the water is clean, open interior doors and run a few household fans to keep air moving across wet surfaces. Keep windows shut on hot, muggy days, since outside air will add more moisture than it takes away. In winter, keep the heat on so pipes do not freeze again and materials keep giving up water.
Lift what you can. Move rugs, electronics, paperwork and anything with sentimental value to a dry room. Slide aluminum foil or plastic lids under furniture legs so stain and rust do not transfer into wet carpet. Leave built-ins and heavy pieces for the crew.
What to avoid: Never use a household vacuum on wet flooring, do not crank the HVAC thinking it will help, and do not rip out drywall before it has been photographed and measured. If the water came from a toilet, a floor drain or outdoors, treat it as contaminated and keep your bare hands out of it.
Then call. The sooner a crew starts extraction, the more of your home stays in place instead of ending up at the curb. If any of it feels unclear, the dispatcher can talk you through it while the contractor is driving over.