Published: September 27, 2026
Quick answer: If floodwater is rising, get people and pets out first — never wade or drive through it. Shut off power to affected areas if you can do it safely, then call PuroClean of East Cobb at (770) 627-0900. We answer 24/7, respond in 60 minutes or less, and stabilize first: extracting standing water, removing what can’t be saved, and drying the structure with professional equipment. Creek floodwater is contaminated, so it has to be handled like the hazardous water it is.
About PuroClean of East Cobb
Who is PuroClean of East Cobb?
PuroClean of East Cobb provides 24/7 water, fire and mold restoration in Marietta, GA, with a 60-minute-or-less response. Since 2022, the team has completed more than 4,000 restoration jobs across metro Atlanta. Technicians hold IICRC certifications in water restoration (WRT), fire and smoke restoration (FSRT), applied structural drying (ASD), and applied microbial remediation (AMRT), plus EPA Lead-Safe certification.
What does restoration cost?
National averages run $1,300–$5,600 for water damage restoration and about $12,900 for fire damage restoration (Forbes). Every job is documented with photos and video, and you approve the restoration plan before work begins — no fine print.
Who answers when I call?
A live person, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. One project manager owns your job from assessment and stabilization through restoration, finishing with a final walkthrough together. Call (770) 627-0900 any time.
Austell grew up around a railroad junction — incorporated in 1885, one of Cobb County’s oldest small cities — but the water that has shaped its homes runs through Sweetwater Creek. The 45.6-mile creek flows east out of Paulding County, through southwestern Cobb County, and south into Douglas County before joining the Chattahoochee River, and the USGS gauge just outside Austell has been watching it since 1904. The creek’s watershed above that gauge covers 246 square miles. When big rain falls across that basin, all of it funnels through here.
September 2009 proved how serious that can get. After days of heavy rain, Sweetwater Creek rose to the worst flooding ever recorded on it — the USGS classified it as greater than a 0.2%-annual-chance (500-year) flood. The gauge near Austell crested at 30.82 feet, against a 10-foot flood stage, and I-20 sat underwater west of I-285 for nearly three days. FEMA reported 23 Georgia counties declared disaster areas, 16,981 homes and 3,482 businesses affected, and total damages over $193 million. And 2009 wasn’t the creek’s only episode: in July 2005, back-to-back hurricanes pushed the creek to one of its highest levels ever, flooding homes beyond the mapped 100-year floodplain.
Austell also has plenty of housing that predates modern flood standards. The city’s older cottages and bungalows near downtown — many built when floodplain maps were far less precise — sit alongside newer subdivisions in one of metro Atlanta’s most affordable markets. Older homes can mean aging drainage, low-slung crawlspaces, and finished basements added decades after the original build. When the creek rises or a summer storm stalls overhead, those are the weak points water finds first.
Before the water comes
You can’t control the creek, but you can reduce what a flood costs you.
- Know your flood zone. Check FEMA’s flood maps for your address. If you’re in or near a mapped floodplain — or downhill from one — treat heavy-rain forecasts as warnings, not background noise.
- Keep drainage clear. Clogged gutters, buried downspout extensions, and debris-packed storm drains turn a heavy storm into water at your foundation. Grade soil away from the house so runoff moves past it, not into it.
- Protect the low points. A sump pump in a basement or crawlspace is cheap insurance — test it before storm season, and know whether yours keeps working if the power fails.
- Stage your valuables. In flood-prone rooms, keep important papers and electronics off the floor, ideally upstairs or on high shelves.
During a flood
- Leave first. If water is entering your home or rising on your street, get people and pets out. Do not wade through floodwater and never drive through a flooded road — according to the National Weather Service, most flood deaths happen in vehicles.
- Kill the power if it’s safe. If you can reach your breaker panel without stepping through water, shut off electricity to affected areas.
- Assume the water is contaminated. Creek floodwater carries everything it picked up on the way: soil, road runoff, sewage. Skin contact and anything it touches should be treated as contaminated until it’s properly cleaned.
After the water recedes
Speed matters. Flood-damaged materials can begin growing mold within 24 to 48 hours in Georgia’s humidity, and what looks dry on the surface often isn’t.
- Document everything. Photograph and video every affected room, wall, and floor before anything is removed. Open closets and cabinets — water gets everywhere. This documentation is the backbone of your insurance claim.
- Don’t assume it dried. Floodwater wicks up drywall, seeps under flooring, and soaks insulation. We map it with thermal imaging and moisture meters because drying only what’s visible leaves moisture trapped where mold takes hold.
- Treat porous materials as suspect. Floodwater is not clean water. Carpet, padding, drywall, and insulation that soaked in creek water are typically removed rather than dried in place — restoration standards treat contaminated water very differently from a clean supply-line leak.
- Call (770) 627-0900. We answer 24/7 with a live person and respond in 60 minutes or less.
Stabilize first, restore second
Our process never changes: assess, stabilize, document, restore. Assessment means finding every bit of moisture, including the water hiding behind walls and under floors. Stabilization means standing water extracted, contaminated materials removed safely, and professional drying equipment placed to pull moisture out of the structure — not just the air. We photograph and video-document the entire job, which supports your claim. One project manager, start to finish, plus a final walkthrough together.
Flood claims also move differently from a simple pipe leak. Flood damage is typically covered under flood insurance, not standard homeowners policies, and documentation requirements are strict. Our owner, Sam Springer, spent 16 years in restoration and insurance — including time as a Property Claim Manager at a national carrier — so we understand what your claim needs. Read more on our insurance claim help page.
If creek flooding or stormwater has reached your Austell home, call (770) 627-0900 now. We’re based in nearby Marietta and available around the clock.
PuroClean of East Cobb has completed 4,000+ restoration jobs since 2022 — 54% water damage, 30% reconstruction, 7% mold. Learn more about PuroClean of East Cobb — our company facts, certifications, and track record.
Learn more about our service areas and our restoration process.
