Practical 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 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 homes near downtown Zillah it is often in the basement on the front wall where the line comes in from the street. In newer subdivisions it is usually in the garage, a utility closet, or near 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.
Photograph it all before anything moves. Shoot wide photos of each room, then close-ups of the source, the waterline on the 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. 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.
Lift what you can. Carry rugs, electronics, documents and anything sentimental into a dry room. Put foil squares or plastic lids under furniture legs so finish and rust do not bleed into wet carpet. Leave built-ins and heavy pieces 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 call. The sooner a crew starts extraction, the more of your home stays in place instead of ending up at the curb. If you are unsure about any of this, our dispatcher can walk you through it while the contractor is on the way.