My house flooded: what to do first and how to document flood damage

The first 24–72 hours

1. Return only when authorities say it is safe, and go in during daylight Safety

   Ready.gov’s flood guidance is to return home only when authorities say it is safe. Use battery-powered flashlights and lanterns rather than candles, gas lanterns or torches, and enter in daylight so you can see standing water, damaged floors and downed wires.^[1][4]

2. Never switch power on or off while standing in water Safety

   CDC’s re-entry guidance: never turn power on or off yourself or use an electric tool or appliance while standing in water. If you smell gas, turn off the main gas valve, open all windows and leave the house immediately. Do not wade in flood water; it can carry pathogens that cause illness.^[1][7]

3. Air the house out before you work inside it Safety

   If the house has been closed up for several days, enter briefly to open doors and windows and let it air out for at least 30 minutes. Floodwater is not clean water. EPA’s flooded-home guidance is to use portable fans and dehumidifiers once electricity is safe to use, but not if mold has already started to grow, because fans may spread it, and its remediation guide says not to use fans before determining that the water is clean or sanitary. If fans do go on, point them so they blow air outwards rather than inwards. Write down what you decided and when. Never run gasoline-powered tools indoors or less than 20 feet from any door, window or vent.^[1][8][9]

4. Report the flood to your flood insurer or agent promptly

   NFIP’s claims checklist says not to delay reporting and to call your insurance agent or provider as soon as possible. Write the date, time and the name of the person you spoke to into your timeline. That first contact date is a fact you will need later.^[3]

5. Photograph the water line and every wet room before anything is moved

   Take clear pictures and videos of damaged items before cleaning, fixing or throwing them out. Start with the water line on the walls, then each room from the doorway, then close-ups. Everything else in this guide depends on these first photos.^[2]

Before you remove anything: the evidence that disappears first

Flood evidence is destroyed by the clean-up you have to do. Wet drywall gets cut out, carpet goes to the curb, the water line fades as walls dry. NFIP’s advice is to take photos and videos of all damage from multiple angles and distances before cleaning, fixing or throwing anything out. The table below lists what vanishes fastest and what to capture before it does.^[2][3]

Photograph the high-water line inside and outside

The single most useful flood photo is the high-water line with a tape measure in the frame. Take it on an interior wall in every affected room and on the exterior of the house, ideally next to a door frame, a brick course or another fixed reference. NFIP specifically lists water levels on walls, furniture and appliances among the things to document, together with structural damage to floors, ceilings and foundations.^[2]

• Hold the tape measure vertically from the floor to the line and photograph the whole tape, then a close-up of the reading.
• Photograph the line on furniture and appliances too; a water mark on a refrigerator is a measurement in itself.
• Outside, photograph the line on the walls, garage door, fence and any vehicle, and note which side of the house each photo shows.
• Write the room name and the reading into the caption, for example “Living room north wall, water line 38 cm, 2026-09-12 10:40”.

Add photos of any structural change you can see safely from a distance: floors that have lifted, ceilings that sag, cracks at the foundation. Do not enter a room to photograph a ceiling that may come down.

What to keep: samples and serial numbers

NFIP tells policyholders to keep small samples of damaged materials for the insurance agent and to record serial numbers from electronics and appliances. Cut the samples yourself, label each one, and keep them somewhere dry.^[2]

• A piece of carpet and its pad, at least a hand’s width, from each room with a different carpet.
• A piece of each hard flooring type: laminate, engineered wood, vinyl plank, tile with backing where practical.
• A cut of drywall or panelling that shows the water line on it.
• A piece of baseboard or trim from each affected room.
• The serial plate of every appliance and electronic item that was under water, photographed before the item is moved.

Label every sample with the room, the material and the date it was taken, and photograph the labelled sample next to the place it came from. If you have a future claim for the same damaged item, NFIP notes that you may be asked to provide proof of repair and receipts, so keep the samples and the receipts together.^[3]

Build the flood timeline

A flood timeline starts before the water arrives. Record any evacuation order, the time you left, the time you were told it was safe to return, the time you went in, and every visit that followed. Separate what you observed, what you recorded and what you did. “Unknown” is a valid entry for when the water first entered or peaked if you were not there.

NFIP’s checklist says the insurance provider will assign an adjuster to contact you within 48 hours of reporting the loss. Log that contact, and every later inspection, as its own timeline entry with the date and the person’s name.^[3]

Drying, receipts and the 24 to 48 hour mold window

NFIP notes that mold can start forming within 24 to 48 hours of flooding, which is why the drying decision comes early. EPA’s flooded-home guidance is to use fans and dehumidifiers once electricity is safe to use and not to use fans if mold has already started to grow; floodwater is treated as contaminated, so whether and how to dry is a decision for someone equipped for it, and the record shows who made it. Document the drying rather than delaying the record: photograph rooms before fans and dehumidifiers go in, note the date and time each machine started, and photograph the same wall on each following day.^[2][8][9]

• If you start repairs before you receive your claim, save all receipts for repair costs and newly purchased items, as NFIP advises.
• Keep equipment rental invoices, contractor invoices and hardware receipts in one place, each marked with the room it relates to.
• Write down what was thrown away and when, with a photo of the pile before collection.
• Wear protective clothing and a face covering if you handle mold or debris.

Keep estimates and paid receipts apart. An estimate for rebuilding a kitchen is not the same record as the invoice for the dehumidifier you rented on day two, and a reader needs to tell which is which.^[7]

NFIP timeframes, flood policies and FEMA assistance are separate things

Ready.gov states that homeowner’s insurance policies do not cover flooding. That is Ready.gov’s statement, and it is why flood damage is usually a separate flood policy question, whether through the National Flood Insurance Program or a private insurer. Whether a particular loss falls under a particular policy is a question ClaimPrep does not answer; read your policies and ask your agent.^[4]

NFIP publishes its own timeframes. Its claims checklist tells policyholders to submit all required documentation to support the claim within 60 days of the flood. That is NFIP’s published figure for NFIP policies; verify it against your own policy and the current checklist, because private flood policies and policy terms differ.^[3]

FEMA disaster assistance is a separate programme from any insurance policy, with its own application and its own rules. If you apply for it, log the application date and reference number in your timeline and keep that correspondence in its own folder. Florida DFS also publishes a consumer guide on the flood claims process and a disaster assistance guide; both are listed on its consumer guides page.^[6]

What to document

What your documentation report will contain

A ClaimPrep documentation report organises what you recorded into these sections. It records facts; it does not value your loss or interpret your policy.

• Claim Summary
• Property Details
• Damage Summary
• Timeline of Events
• Affected Areas
• Detailed Documentation
• Mitigation Actions
• Documented Details
• Additional Documentation
• Photo Documentation

See a sample documentation report (a fictional example) or read how ClaimPrep works.

Who to contact

Your flood insurance agent or flood insurer

NFIP’s checklist says to call them as soon as possible; they assign the adjuster and explain their own documentation requirements.^[3]

Florida DFS Insurance Consumer Helpline, 1-877-MY-FL-CFO (1-877-693-5236), out of state (850) 413-3089

State consumer help for insurance questions, available 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM EST, Monday through Friday; have your company name, policy number and agent name ready.^[5]

Your county or city emergency management office

They announce when it is safe to return, where debris is collected and whether FEMA assistance is open in your area.^[4]

A water damage restoration contractor

They dry and remove wet materials; ask for a dated scope of work and keep every invoice. Restoration contractors generally follow the ANSI/IICRC S500 water damage restoration standard.

Common documentation mistakes

Tearing out wet carpet and drywall before photographing the water line

Photograph the line with a tape measure and cut labelled samples first; the removal can start an hour later.

Treating homeowner’s and flood policies as one question

Note Ready.gov’s statement that homeowner’s policies do not cover flooding, read both policies, and ask your agent; do not assume.

Running fans pointing inwards, or gasoline tools indoors

Point fans outwards so mold is not spread through the house, and keep gasoline-powered tools outside and at least 20 feet from doors, windows and vents.

Waiting for an inspection before drying anything

Dry now and document the drying with dated photos; NFIP’s guidance is that mold can start within 24 to 48 hours.

Losing track of which receipt belongs to which room

Write the room name on each receipt as you file it, and log it the same day.

Questions