We don’t get a lot of rain in Orange County, so when a storm rolls in, a lot of homes find out the hard way where the weak spots are. The National Weather Service is calling for showers likely after 10 PM Thursday and again on Friday, with the best chance of rain Friday night. A little more is possible early next week. If water finds its way into your house, the first hour of water damage from rain matters more than anything that comes after it.
Here’s what to do, what to leave alone, and when it’s time to pick up the phone.
First, make sure everyone is safe
Water and electricity don’t mix. If water is near outlets, a power strip, or anything plugged in, stay out of that area. If you can reach your breaker panel without stepping through water, switch off power to the wet rooms. If you can’t get to it safely, leave it and call for help.
Watch the ceiling, too. A ceiling that’s sagging or bulging is holding water, and it can come down without much warning. Keep people and pets out of the room below it.
Stop the water if you can
Rain usually gets in through a roof, a window, a sliding door track, or under an exterior door. You won’t be fixing a roof in the middle of a storm, but you can often slow things down:
- Put buckets or bins under drips and empty them before they overflow.
- Roll up towels along the bottom of doors and slider tracks.
- Clear leaves out of gutters and downspouts once it’s safe to be outside, so water drains away from the house instead of over the edge.
- If a roof leak is collecting in one spot on the ceiling, keep a bucket under it and stay out from under the bulge.
Move what you can
Get furniture, electronics, rugs and paperwork off wet floors. Put foil or plastic under the legs of wood furniture so stain doesn’t bleed into the carpet. Lift drapes off the floor. Anything you move out of the water now is one less thing that needs to be dried, cleaned or replaced later.
What not to do
- Don’t use a household vacuum to pick up water. It isn’t built for it and it’s a shock risk.
- Don’t turn on ceiling fans or lights in a room with a wet ceiling.
- Don’t walk through storm runoff or a drain backup. Both can carry bacteria, so treat that water as contaminated.
- Don’t assume it’s fine once it looks dry. Water soaks into drywall, insulation, carpet pad and subfloor, and it can sit there long after the surface feels dry.
Take pictures before cleanup
Before you start throwing things out, take photos and video of the water damage from rain, and of where it came in. Get wide shots of each room and close-ups of damaged items. If you end up filing a claim, your insurance company will want to see what happened. We bill insurance directly, and good photos make that process a lot smoother for everyone.
Why speed matters
The EPA says wet building materials and furnishings should be dried within 24 to 48 hours to help prevent mold growth. That’s not much time, and fans from the garage usually won’t get the inside of a wall dry.
When our IICRC-certified technicians arrive, they start with thermal imaging and moisture readings to find out where the water went, including the spots you can’t see. Truck-mounted water extraction pulls out standing water fast. Then we set up drying equipment and come back every day to check moisture until the structure is actually dry. If anything was damaged badly enough to come out, we handle the repairs and rebuilding, too.
When to call about water damage from rain
Call us if water is coming through a ceiling, soaking carpet or flooring, getting into walls, or coming up from a drain. Call even if you’re not sure how bad it is. We offer a free assessment, so you’ll know what you’re dealing with before you decide anything.
We answer 24/7, and a crew can be on site within 60 minutes. Call PuroClean of Northeast Orange County at (714) 643-2558, or read more about our water damage restoration service. For more on staying safe when heavy rain hits, see our flash flood facts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it safe to stay in my house if rain got in?
Usually, as long as the water isn’t near anything electrical and no ceiling is sagging. If either is true, stay out of that area and call for help.
How fast does mold grow after a leak?
The EPA recommends drying wet materials within 24 to 48 hours to help prevent mold. The sooner drying starts, the better.
Will my insurance cover water damage from rain?
It depends on your policy and how the water got in. Take photos, call your insurance company, and call us. We bill insurance directly.
Can I dry it out myself with fans?
Fans can help with surface water, but they usually don’t reach water inside walls, under flooring or in carpet pad. We use thermal imaging and moisture readings to find it.
How much does an assessment cost?
Nothing. We offer a free assessment so you know what you’re dealing with before you decide.
How quickly can you get here?
We answer 24/7, and a crew can be on site within 60 minutes.
About the Author
Gabriela Miszti, MBA, CFE, is co-owner and Vice President of PuroClean of Northeast Orange County, an IICRC Certified and EPA Lead-Safe Certified restoration firm in Anaheim. She is a Certified Fraud Examiner with a background in finance, investigations, compliance and corporate security, and she works with homeowners and insurance professionals across Anaheim, Orange, Yorba Linda and Villa Park on water, fire and mold damage. She also serves on the OCACFE advisory board.
