If water from the Embarras River or the ground around it has reached your home in Champaign or Urbana, first keep people out of the water, switch off power to the wet area only if you can do it safely, photograph the damage and call the line. Standing river water is treated as contaminated from the first visit.
Key takeaways
- River and ground flood water is contaminated, so it is not handled like a clean pipe leak.
- Keep out of standing water near outlets, cords and the electrical panel, and do not enter a basement while the water is still moving.
- Photograph the water line and the damage before anything is moved, and note the time you first saw it.
- A flood can reach a lower room through the ground, a window well or a storm drain, so check more than the first room.
- Call the line at any hour. A local crew is sent as soon as one is free.
What is the first thing to do when river water comes in?
Stay out of the water and keep anyone else out. Power is the first hazard, and the water is contaminated, so the first step is to make the area safe before any cleaning.
Do not wade into standing water. Flood water can hide debris, a sunken step or a live cord, and it is not clean. If the water is near outlets or the electrical panel, leave the power off at the main if you can reach it from a dry place. If you cannot, call the power company and the line, and do not touch the panel from a wet floor.
Keep children and pets away from the water, and wash your hands well if you touch anything that was in it. Do not start a generator inside the house or in an attached garage.
Should I pump out the basement myself?
Only if the water is shallow, the power to the area is off and you can reach the pump safely. A basement with water still rising or with a stored electrical supply near the water is a job for a crew.
A pump rated for the job, set on a dry surface and run from a protected outlet outside the water, is the safe way to start. A household wet vacuum is not rated for a pool of water and is a shock risk.
Pumping too fast can also cause problems. If the water is drawn down faster than the ground around the walls can release it, the walls can be pushed or the floor can lift. A crew balances the pumping against the ground.
What should I photograph and record?
Photograph the water line on the walls, the level on appliances and the damaged items, and the outside of the house where the water came in. Note the date, the time and the rooms affected. These records help the insurer and the crew.
Take wide photographs of each room first, then close ones of the water line and the stains. Include the outside grade, any window well, the garage threshold and the lowest drain. A photograph of the ground outside tells the crew which way the water came.
Write down when you first saw the water, when it was still rising and when it began to fall. Those times help the crew estimate how long the materials were wet, which decides what has to come out.
How do I know which part of the Embarras flooded my building?
Flood water can come from the river, from the ground after a storm, from a storm drain that backed up or from a detention pond overflow. The crew reads the building and the outside to find the route, rather than assuming it from the name of the river.
The Embarras River rises in Champaign County and runs through detention ponds near Windsor Road and U.S. Route 45, the southern part of the University of Illinois campus and Meadowbrook Park in south Urbana. A building near any of those places may be reached by its water, but whether it was reached depends on its own ground and drainage.
The crew checks the entry points, the grade, the drains and the lowest rooms. It then says which route it found, and what it could not confirm.
What happens after the crew arrives?
The crew confirms the power is safe, finds the source of the water if it is still coming, removes the standing water, reads the structure with meters and dries it to measured goals. Materials that cannot be dried are removed after they are shown to you.
The first visit is the one that sets the plan. The crew reads the building from the lowest point up, measures the floor, the lower walls and the framing, and explains what it expects to remove.
Drying then runs visit by visit until the readings reach the goal. You receive the readings and the photographs, so the record of the work is complete.
Can I stay in the house during a flood cleanup?
Often you can stay in rooms away from the wet area, but not in the room with standing water, the room with equipment running and any room where the air is being moved toward you. The crew explains which rooms are safe on the first visit.
The drying equipment is loud and warm, and the cords and hoses must be kept off the floor. Keep to the path the crew sets. If anyone in the house has a condition that makes dust or noise hard to manage, tell the crew on the phone so the setup can allow for it.
Do not seal a room tightly while it is drying, since that traps the humidity and slows the work.
What about the insurance claim?
Start with your insurer. Whether river or ground flood water is covered depends on your policy wording, and the insurer decides. Keep the photographs, the readings and the removal list, and ask the insurer directly what it covers for your address.
A standard homeowner policy often treats surface water and flood water differently from water from a pipe in the building. The wording matters more than the description on the phone, so read the section on water and flood before the claim is filed.
The Illinois Department of Insurance takes complaints about insurers, and that is the route to use if a claim is not handled properly.
When should I call, and what do I tell the line?
Call at once if water is still coming in, if the power is near the water, or if there is a smell of gas. Tell the line the address, which floor the water is on, where it came from if you know, and whether the power is off. A crew is sent as soon as one is free.
The line is answered 24/7. The first call decides the order of work, so the answers matter more than the length of the call. No arrival time is promised, because the crew depends on what is free at that hour.
If you are waiting for the crew, keep valuables and papers upstairs, keep the power off to the wet area and keep people and pets clear of the water. Do not try to seal a window well or a vent while the water is still moving toward it.
What should I avoid in the first day?
Avoid restarting appliances that were in the water, switching on lights or outlets in a wet room, and throwing away anything before it is photographed. Those three steps cause more harm and more disputes than most others.
Do not try to dry the walls with a space heater or a fan that is plugged in near water. Heat without moving air can drive moisture deeper into the materials, and a plugged-in heater on a wet floor is a shock risk.
Do not seal a window well, a vent or a door with tape or sealant while water is still moving toward it. The seal can trap the water inside the room. Wait for the crew to see the route.
How long should the house stay closed up?
Keep the house closed to outside air while the water is being removed and the crew is setting up, and open windows only as the crew advises. Closed rooms hold humidity, so the balance between closing and airing is set by the drying plan.
The first visit usually decides this. Ask the crew which rooms to keep closed, which to air and which to keep clear of the equipment. Keep to that plan until the next visit, and say so if conditions change, such as a storm or a cold snap.
Frequently asked questions
Is river flood water safe to touch?
No. It should be treated as contaminated and not touched bare-handed. Wear waterproof gloves and boots if you must go near it, and wash your hands afterward.
What if the water is clear?
Clear water from a river or the ground can still be contaminated. It is handled with the same care as other flood water until a crew has checked it.
Should I turn off the electricity to the whole house?
If you can reach the main safely from a dry place, switching off the power to the affected area or the house is the safest step. If you cannot, call the power company and the line.
How quickly does the crew come after a river flood call?
A crew is sent as soon as one is free. No arrival time is promised, and the line will tell you what to do until it arrives.
Will the crew remove the carpet?
Carpet and pad that have taken up flood water are often removed, because they cannot be dried reliably. The crew shows you the material before it is removed.
Who do I contact about the river itself?
The river and its flood records are managed by public agencies. This company does not manage the river, and the crew can tell you which record applies to your address.
Should I throw out food that was in the water?
Food that was in flood water should be discarded, and food that was in a sealed container may be kept if the container was not opened. Photograph the food and the fridge or freezer first, so the loss can be recorded for the insurer.
Do I need to stay with the crew during the visit?
You are welcome to stay and watch the readings being taken, and it helps to hear the crew's explanation directly. If you cannot be present, ask the crew to leave the readings and photographs with a clear note of what was done.
Sources
This guide is general information for Champaign County homeowners, not a substitute for an on-site inspection. Prices are estimates. See our disclaimer.