If flash flooding or heavy rain puts water in your house, get everyone to a dry, safe spot first and stay out of standing water that could touch outlets or cords. Then stop more water from coming in if you can, photograph everything before you clean, and start drying within a day or two, because wet drywall, flooring and insulation can begin growing mold in 24 to 48 hours.
Heavy rain in central North Carolina does not need a hurricane behind it. The NC State Climate Office notes that ordinary thunderstorms can drop intense rain fast enough to cause localized flash flooding, and fall and winter systems can soak the ground for days before the next storm arrives. When that happens, water finds the low spots: a finished basement in North Raleigh, a crawl space in Garner, a slab home near a drainage ditch in Knightdale.
Southeast Raleigh and the towns around it have their own flood stories. The City of Raleigh says trails at Walnut Creek Wetland Park often flood after large rains, and that some flood-prone areas in the city are not shown on FEMA maps at all. Farther out, the Neuse River at Smithfield crested near 20 feet on November 15, 2018, well above its 15 foot flood stage, a reminder that November is not automatically a dry month in Johnston County.
What counts as flash flooding, and why does it hit so fast?
Flash flooding is flooding that rises within minutes or a few hours of heavy rain. It is different from a river slowly climbing over its banks over a day or two. In a flash flood, storm drains back up, small creeks jump their banks and water runs across yards and driveways faster than the ground can soak it in.
Raleigh’s growth adds to the problem. Roofs, roads and parking lots shed water instead of absorbing it, so a two-inch downpour that would have soaked into a field forty years ago now heads straight for the nearest creek. That is part of why the city runs a flood warning system on Crabtree Creek, which has a long history of rising quickly around Crabtree Valley.
Is it safe to go back inside after floodwater gets in?
Only when it is safe to do so. FEMA’s Ready campaign advises people not to walk, swim or drive through floodwater, because moving water is stronger than it looks and can hide debris, open drains and live electrical lines. About a foot of moving water is enough to carry away a vehicle.
Inside your home, the biggest danger is electricity. If water has reached outlets, cords, a water heater or your electrical panel, do not wade in to fix it. Turn off power at the main breaker only if you can reach it without standing in water. If you cannot, wait for the utility or a licensed electrician.
Also treat floodwater as dirty. Water that came in from outside has run across lawns, streets and sometimes sewer lines. Wear rubber boots and gloves, keep kids and pets out of the area and wash your hands after touching anything it soaked.
First steps after flash flooding reaches your home
Here is what to do in the first hours and the first day, in order.
- Get to safety. Move everyone to a dry part of the house or leave if water is still rising. Your belongings can wait.
- Cut the electrical risk. Shut off power to wet areas at the panel if you can do it while standing on dry ground. If not, leave it alone.
- Stop new water where you can. Clear a blocked gutter or downspout once the rain stops, and move sandbags or towels to doorways if water is still trickling in.
- Document before you clean. Take wide photos of each room, close-ups of the water line on walls and video of anything floating. FEMA’s claim guidance also suggests writing down make, model and serial numbers for damaged appliances and keeping a small sample of soaked carpet or flooring.
- Call your insurance company. Report the loss promptly and ask what deadlines apply. Every policy is different, so ask your agent what your coverage includes.
- Move what you can save. Lift furniture onto blocks or move it to a dry room. Pull rugs, cushions, books and papers out of wet areas so they can start drying.
- Start drying the same day. Remove standing water, open interior doors and get professional drying equipment in place as soon as possible.
Does homeowners insurance cover flash flood damage?
That depends on your policy, and the answer is often not what people expect. FEMA’s Ready campaign points out that standard homeowners policies generally do not cover flooding from outside water, and that a new flood insurance policy usually takes about 30 days to take effect.
The difference that matters is where the water came from. Water that rises from the ground or flows in from outside is usually treated as flood. Water from a burst pipe or a failed appliance inside your home is usually handled differently. A restoration company cannot tell you what your insurer will pay, but it can give you clear photos, moisture readings and a written scope of work so your adjuster has what they need.
Why can’t I just let my house air dry?
Because air drying is slow, and slow drying is how a water problem turns into a mold and rot problem. The EPA says mold can begin growing on wet materials within 24 to 48 hours. In Raleigh’s humid air, drywall and framing hold moisture longer than they would in a dry climate, and opening windows on a muggy day can add moisture instead of removing it.
Water also travels farther than it looks. It wicks up drywall, soaks into the bottom plates of walls, runs under laminate and vinyl plank flooring and drips into crawl spaces. A floor can look dry on top while the subfloor underneath is still saturated.
Professional drying uses moisture meters to find that hidden water, then sets dehumidifiers and air movers sized for the space. The crew checks readings each visit until materials reach normal levels, so you know when it is actually dry instead of guessing.
Which parts of a flooded home usually have to come out?
Not everything has to go. What can be saved depends on how long materials were wet and how dirty the water was.
- Often saved: solid wood framing, tile, concrete, sealed hardwood that was dried quickly, and many hard furniture pieces.
- Often removed: carpet pad, wet insulation, the lower section of soaked drywall, and particleboard cabinets or furniture that swelled.
- Case by case: carpet, upholstered furniture, mattresses and documents. Outside floodwater makes saving soft goods much harder than clean water from a supply line.
A common approach is a flood cut, where the bottom portion of drywall is removed above the water line. That opens the wall so the framing and insulation behind it can dry and be checked.
How do Wake and Johnston county homes handle heavy rain differently?
The housing around Raleigh is a mix, and each type takes on water in its own way.
Many older neighborhoods inside the Beltline and in Southeast Raleigh sit on crawl space foundations, where water can pond on the ground under the house and raise humidity in the floor system for weeks. Advanced Energy, a Raleigh nonprofit, reports that many crawl space homes already struggle with moisture, so a heavy rain on top of that can push wood floors to cup and joists to stay damp.
Newer subdivisions in Knightdale, Wendell and Clayton often have slab foundations. Water there tends to spread sideways under flooring and into the bottoms of walls across several rooms at once.
Along the Neuse, the risk is the river itself. In Smithfield, the National Weather Service tracks what floods at each river height, from the Riverwalk at 15 feet to homes on the river side of Front Street near 30 feet. If you live near the river, know where your home sits on that scale.
How can I lower the odds of flood water getting in next time?
You cannot stop a creek from rising, but you can make your home a harder target.
- Clean gutters and downspouts after the leaves finish falling, and extend downspouts several feet away from the foundation.
- Check that soil and mulch slope away from the house, not toward it.
- Keep storm drains near your driveway clear of leaves and debris.
- Store valuables, papers and photos off the floor in basements and garages.
- Look at your crawl space after a big storm for standing water or a wet vapor barrier.
- Learn where your main water shutoff and electrical panel are before you need them.
Water in Your Home After a Storm?
Flash flooding does not give much warning, but you can control what happens next. If heavy rain has put water in your home or crawl space anywhere from Raleigh and Garner to Clayton and Smithfield, call Best Option Restoration of SE Raleigh 24/7 for Water Damage Removal and Cleanup Services and get the drying started today.