Find your fuse box and turn off the main breaker as well as all the individual fuse switches. Standing water and electricity do not mix and you do not want the risk of life-threatening dangers when and if the power is restored.

In the case of serious flooding, a qualified electrician will need to inspect, clean, and dry the power box before the power can be turned on again.

Flood water can be highly contaminated or even toxic. You will not always be able to see these contaminants or hazards, so it is important to wear protective gear.

Do not touch your mouth or nose with your gloves or hands or anything that has come in contact with the water.

The water can be polluted with bacteria, mold, or chemical substances that can be harmful to your health.

If the flooding is caused by storms or natural disasters, you can call your city to make sure the storm drains are open and cleaned out to ensure the water recedes faster.

Obviously the less water that enters your property, the less you have to remove later.

Many appliances can now be equipped with automatic shutoff valves to prevent leakage and stop further water damage.

Immediately contact your utility companies if you suspect any damage has occurred to water, gas, electric, or sewer lines.

Safety is always more important than salvaging household items, so be wise as you assess the structural integrity of your property.

You will need to call you insurance company as soon as possible to speed up the restoration process and return to normalcy. The insurance company will send an adjuster to look at the damage and determine if you are covered for any losses.

Be sure to follow the instructions from your insurance company about the clean up and restoration process.

Do not start any repairs or demolition until they have sent an adjuster or they have authorized you to move forward.

Document all the damage and make reports of conversations with your insurer as you move through the process. Clear communication is key in covering your loss and the restoration.

Some plumbers will then recommend or refer specific restoration companies to help you remove the water and restore your property.

Occasionally there are unethical business agreements between the two, where the restoration company pays the plumber a kickback for the referral and then recoups that kickback in you restoration bill.

Do not sign any contracts or let any restoration company start any demolition work before your insurance company has sent an adjuster to look at the damage and assess your claim.

There are unsavory contractors that will do unnecessary work and you can get stuck with the bill. You should never sign a contract that removes you as the claimant and gives the restoration company ownership of your payout from the insurance company.

Reputable contractors have transparent, honest business practices and don’t receive or pay kickbacks for referrals. Their businesses are built on excellent customer service, fair pricing, and clear and honest estimates.

They will help you file your claims but they will never insert themselves as the claimant and they will make sure your insurance company has authorized their work.

Take as many pictures as possible and continue photo documentation throughout the entire clean up. The more information you can provide, the better; and photographic evidence tells the story better than any other way.

You will need pictures of structural and property damage as well as household items and furnishings that have been damaged or destroyed.

Keep careful documentation so that your insurance adjuster can make an accurate assessment of your loss.

If you have to bail the water with buckets, keep in mind that water is heavy–a gallon of water weighs 7 pounds–so be careful not to injure yourself in the process.

You can also rent or buy a sump pump to remove large amounts of water or a wet vac to suck up small amounts of standing water from carpets and floors. If the flooding is minimal, you may be able to simply mop up the water with towels.

Because of the nature of the water itself, it can travel through the structural materials of floors, ceilings, and walls, sometimes without notice until it accumulates in low points or pockets.

The detection of water in structural cavities can often only be found with sensitive moisture meters. Be aware that undetected moisture will eventually lead to the formation of mold and other damage as building materials delaminate, split, shrink, and deteriorate over time.

Be sure to have your house or property inspected with moisture meters to ensure that all the water–hiding and standing–has been removed.

Document every item as you remove them from the property, in case they cannot be saved. Create lists of ruined items, noting when they were purchased and the approximate price and value.

If items have been exposed to water for over 48 hours, they are not safe to keep and will likely already have mold spores that can be dangerous and hazardous to your health.

Additionally, never save or eat food that has been contaminated by flood water or even if it has been in close proximity to the flood area for any period of time. If the water reached your refrigerator or any pantry cupboards, it is safest to throw out all the food.

Food contamination is dangerous and can even be deadly. Thoroughly sanitize and wash any dinnerware, glassware, or flatware before you use them again.

You can and should employ many methods to dry your property including opening the windows (if it is dry and not humid outside) and running the air conditioner or heater to start. Large industrial fans and dehumidifiers can also be set up to target specific areas or rooms.

Keep in mind that any materials that remain saturated for more than 24-48 hours will need to be removed because of the risk of mold growth. Speeding up the drying process in any ways you can will mitigate further damage.

The flooring should be removed to expose the subfloor so it can start drying as soon as possible. Wood subfloors can take months to fully dry out. Carpet padding should be discarded and replaced.

Carpets and vinyl flooring that were under water for less than 24 hours can only be salvaged if the floodwater was not contaminated. They will need to be professionally cleaned and dried.

Hardwood floorboards need special care and need to be dried slowly to prevent cracking and buckling. Even cement foundations can hold water and will need time to dry.

If you have to remove baseboards and drywall, be sure to take pictures before you start so that the insurer can see the height of water damage to the walls. You can also carefully poke holes at floor levels in the drywall to allow water trapped behind it to escape.

Large, wet pieces of furniture will likely be difficult to dry before mold growth begins and will usually need to be discarded.

After flooding, there are industry standards and health recommendations regarding the dryness and moisture content of building materials. Before renovation can begin, the wood and other materials need to be dry enough to meet these standards in order to ensure that mold will not grow.

In many cases the materials may also have to be disinfected or treated to prevent bacterial and fungal growth. Be patient and careful and you will save yourself further complications down the road.

Obviously, preventing its initial growth needs to be a top priority. Your home needs to be completely cleaned and disinfected after a house flood because mold spores can easily spread and cannot be seen with the naked eye.

Every surface should be cleaned with hot water and a heavy-duty detergent or pine oil, then disinfected with a 10% bleach solution to kill germs, bacteria and fungi.

Proper disposal of wet building materials is vitally important as well as completely drying the area and making accurate assessments of how far the water actually spread through the property.

Don’t buy replacement furniture or home furnishings until your home is completely repaired. Bear in mind that this will probably take longer than you think.

When it comes to your photographs, memory books or other important papers, they need to be dried carefully and slowly. You may not have time to do this in the aftermath of a flood, but they can be frozen and cleaned later.

Wash any mud or debris off the items you want to save, and then store them in plastic bags and put them in a freezer to prevent the growth of mildew which will cause additional and permanent damage. These items can stay frozen until you have time to thaw and properly dry and clean them or take them to a professional.

For extensive flooding, you many need a complete remodel accompanied by considerable mold treatment, and will face many weeks of construction ahead.

Before you begin construction and restoration, you should receive information regarding the final amount of reimbursement from your insurance company. Keep your payout numbers in mind as you make decisions and choices to rebuild your property and make possible upgrades.

In addition paying for the rebuilding materials and labor costs, you will also need to replace furniture, electronics, and household items that were lost or damaged in the flood. Put together a plan that takes all the potential costs into account as you put your home back together again.

If you are living in your home while reconstruction is underway, you can set up dust barriers between the construction areas and the living spaces, but remember that even with these in place, if you are using your kitchen, cooking in a construction zone can make all your food taste a little bit like dust.

This, of course, can be difficult when you just want to get back to “normal,” when you just want to walk into your home and not worry about the smell or the moisture saturation or the mold or the mess. Particularly if the flooding is severe and you have to be displaced for several months, everyday, regular life seems like it might be gone for good. Remember, this too shall pass.

House floods and the resulting restoration process require patience. The first tip on our list may be useful here too…breathe and grieve. Breathe and wait so that things can get done the right way. Grieve the loss of your normal life and your peace (at least for a little while).

The more you can accept that waiting and time are a part of the process–sometimes critical parts that you can’t just skip over–the less frustrating the whole experience will be.