1. Stay safe around electricity
If water is touching outlets, cords, a space heater or the breaker panel, stay out of it. If you can reach the panel from a dry spot, shut off power to the wet rooms. If the panel itself is wet or standing in water, leave it alone and tell the crew when you call.
Watch ceilings, too. A ceiling that sags or bulges is holding water and can come down.
2. Stop the water
- Plumbing leak, water heater or appliance: shut off the main water valve. In most Lawrence homes it is in the basement or crawlspace where the line comes in from the street.
- Toilet or sink overflow: turn the small valve behind or under the fixture.
- Sewage coming up a drain: stop running water anywhere in the house. Every flush adds to it.
- Rain or a failed sump pump: you cannot stop the weather, but you can move things up off the floor and check whether the pump has power.
3. Call for help
Call a water damage company now, not after you have tried to clean it up yourself. Getting a crew on the way while you work on the steps below saves time. Call us and we will connect you with a local company.
4. Document everything
Before you move or throw anything out, take photos and video of each wet room, the source of the water, and damaged belongings. Get close shots and wide shots. Your insurance company will ask for them, and they are hard to recreate later.
5. Protect what you can
- Move rugs, electronics, papers, photos and anything you can't replace to a dry floor.
- Put foil or plastic under furniture legs so stain and finish do not bleed into wet carpet.
- Hang wet drapes up off the floor.
- Open windows only if it is dry and mild outside. In humid summer weather, open windows can slow drying.
6. Do not do these
- Do not use a household vacuum on water.
- Do not walk through sewage or flood water in regular shoes.
- Do not turn the heat way up to dry things out. Heat without dehumidification can spread moisture into other rooms.
- Do not throw out damaged items before your adjuster has seen them or you have photographed them.
7. Call your insurance company
Open a claim and write down the claim number. You do not have to wait for the adjuster to start water removal. Most policies expect you to take reasonable steps to keep the damage from getting worse, and the restoration company can document the job for you.
Related services in Lawrence
- Emergency water removal: Standing water pumped and extracted, wet materials pulled, drying started.
- Flooded basement cleanup: Rain, sump pump failures and broken lines in finished and unfinished basements.
- Burst pipe water damage: Frozen and split pipes inside walls and ceilings, opened up and dried out.