Flooding in a place with four inches of rain
The Clark County Regional Flood Control District puts it plainly. It hardly rains, but when it does, it pours. July through September are the monsoon months, with sudden downpours and fast flash flooding even on sunny days. Most storms last a couple of hours. That is long enough to push water across a yard, under a slider and into a living room.
Why flood water is handled differently
Water that ran across the ground outside picks up soil, oil and whatever was in the street. Restorers call it Category 3. Wet carpet, pad and the bottom of the drywall come out. Hard surfaces get cleaned and sanitized. Then the house is dried the same careful way as any other job.
Stay safe
Six inches of moving water can knock a person down and one foot of water floats most cars. Wait for the storm to pass.
Photos
Show the water line on walls and the mud on the floor before cleanup.
Mud out
Silt and debris are shoveled and extracted.
Remove porous material
Carpet, pad and drywall below the flood line, plus wet insulation.
Clean and sanitize
Hard surfaces washed. CDC says bleach no stronger than 1 cup per gallon, never mixed with ammonia.
Dry and rebuild
Dry to the dry standard, then drywall, texture and paint.
Flood insurance in the valley
Standard home, condo and renters policies exclude flood. Flood coverage comes from the National Flood Insurance Program or a private flood policy. The flood district notes you can buy NFIP coverage anywhere your community takes part, and that 20 to 25 percent of NFIP claims come from outside high risk flood zones. Water that comes through a roof during a storm is often handled differently from water that rises from the ground, so read the exact wording.
Where storm water gets in
- Sliding doors and thresholds that sit low to the yard
- Block wall weep holes and yards that drain toward the house
- Garage doors on driveways that slope in
- Roof valleys and flat roof scuppers clogged with debris