After storm water enters a Norman home, the first steps are to stay safe from electricity, stop more water from coming in if it can be done safely, photograph the damage and remove the water. Drying follows the water removal and is judged by readings, not by how the floor looks. Calls are answered 24/7.
Key takeaways
- Electricity comes first: switch off power to wet rooms at the breaker from a dry spot, and do not walk into standing water near a panel.
- Storm water often carries mud, leaves and debris, so it is handled as a dirtier loss than clean water from a pipe.
- Photographs and notes made in the first hour are the foundation of any insurance claim for the loss.
- Water removal starts as soon as the house is safe to enter, and drying follows it.
- The drying window stays open until the readings show the materials have reached their targets, not for a fixed number of days.
- Storm openings such as a broken window or a lifted shingle should be closed by the right trade, and the drying should go on regardless.
Is the house safe to enter after a storm?
Not until the power has been checked. Storm water near a panel, outlets or a running appliance is an electrical risk, and the house may also have structural damage from wind. Switch off the power to wet rooms from a dry spot, and do not enter a room with a sagging ceiling.
A panel that has been in water must not be touched. If the water reaches the panel or the meter, the safe step is to leave the house and call the power company or an electrician from outside. The restoration crew will not reconnect power, and it advises you to have any electrical equipment checked before it is used.
Look for signs of structural damage before going in: a bowed wall, a cracked foundation, a sagging ceiling or a door that will no longer open. If any of these is present, keep out of the room and tell the technician when you call.
How do I stop more water getting in?
Close the openings that you can reach safely, and move belongings away from the water's path. A tarp, a sheet of plastic or a cover over a broken window may slow the water, but a temporary cover on a roof is a job for a roofer, not for a homeowner in wind.
Look at the doors, the windows and the lowest vents first, because storm water usually enters at the ground. A door with a worn sweep can be blocked with a towel or a sandbag, though the water it has already let in still needs to be removed.
Do not climb onto a roof that is wet or in wind. Stay inside, put containers under the drips and call the line so that the roof opening can be found and closed by the right trade.
What should I photograph and write down?
Photograph the water line, the damaged items, the openings and any visible source before anything is moved. Write down the time the water was found, when the storm ended and what you did to stop the water. These notes support the claim and help the crew plan the first visit.
Take wide shots of each room and close shots of the damage. Include a reference, such as a door frame or a light switch, so the scale and the height of the water line can be read from the picture.
Keep the list of what you did and when. A short timeline is more useful to an insurer than a set of photographs with no dates. The crew will add its readings to the same file, so keep the two together.
What does the first removal look like?
The first removal takes out standing water and any material that is sodden and cannot be dried in place. Pumps and extraction vacuums are used on the floor, and the crew lifts carpet and pad where they hold water. Sodden items are listed as they leave the house.
Storm water often leaves silt and debris on the floor, and that debris is removed before the surface is dried. A floor that is covered in mud cannot be read properly, and the removal is also needed to protect the drying equipment.
The removal is not the end of the job. The crew will read the walls, the subfloor and the cavities after the surface water is gone, and decide where the drying must go.
How long does the drying window stay open?
The drying window stays open until the readings show that each material has reached its dry target on consecutive checks. That can take days or longer, and it depends on the materials and the air. A floor that looks dry is not a finish point.
Water that has entered wall cavities and insulation takes longer to leave than water on the floor. The readings show when the cavities are dry, and the crew will open the wall if the reading stays high after the surface is dry.
Closing the drying window too early is a common cause of mold, swollen flooring and a second claim. Keep the equipment running until the readings say the house is ready.
What should I expect from the storm-season crews and roofers?
The restoration crew dries the house, and a roofer closes any roof opening. The two can work at the same time, but the drying should go on regardless of the repair. The crew records the opening and the path of the water so the roofer knows where to look.
Ask the roofer for a written note of what was found and what was done. An insurer may ask whether the opening was closed promptly, and the note answers that question.
Once the opening is closed, the drying continues until the readings are at target. A closed roof does not dry the structure below it, and the readings are the only way to know when the house is ready.
What did past Norman storms teach about the first day?
Past storms in and around Norman show that the first day matters most. The 2008 storm in northwest Norman left thousands needing roof replacements, and the May 2015 rain ran far above normal.
The National Weather Service's Norman storm data records the November 2008 storm in the northwest of the city, and the damage it left to roofs and windows. The lesson for a homeowner is that the opening, not only the room, is the first thing to look at.
In May 2015 the rain reached 12.78 inches by May 20 against a normal May of 4.71 inches, according to a local news report. Houses that stayed wet through that spell needed their readings checked again and again, which is why the record matters more than the look of the floor.
What should be ready when the crew arrives?
Have the timeline, the photographs, a list of the openings you know about and the location of the main shut-off ready. Keep children and pets out of the wet rooms, and clear a path for the equipment. A prepared homeowner shortens the first visit and gives the crew better information from the start.
Write the timeline on one sheet: when the water was first seen, when the storm ended, what was done and by whom. Add anything you noticed before the storm, such as a stain that was already there or a window that had been leaking, because it can matter to the insurer.
Clear the route from the door to the wet room of any furniture that can be moved, and tell the technician which items you want kept and which you are willing to see removed. Those choices are recorded and shape the removal list.
Why does storm damage sometimes look older than it is?
Water that has soaked into a material can stain it for a long time after the event, so an old-looking mark is not always an old leak. Equally, a fresh stain can hide an older problem. The readings and the crew's inspection are what separate the two, so the record should not be judged by appearance alone.
A mark on a ceiling after a storm may be the water from that storm, or it may be a leak that was already running and has now been pushed further by the rain. Staining with rings, swelling in the framing and dark, soft wood point toward a longer history, and the crew records them as found.
Do not wipe, paint or repair a mark before the crew has seen it. An insurer may ask whether the mark existed before the storm, and a photograph taken before any cleaning is the best answer to that question.
Frequently asked questions
Should I start cleaning right away after a storm?
Make the house safe and photograph the damage first. Cleaning before the record is made can remove evidence the insurer will want. Once the photographs are taken and the power is safe, the crew advises what cleaning can begin.
Is storm water as dangerous as a sewage backup?
Storm water is usually treated as more contaminated than clean water from a pipe, because it carries mud, debris and whatever the yard held. Sewage is a separate and more serious case. Keep children and pets out of the water, and wash your hands after contact.
Can I just wait for the water to dry on its own?
No. Water left in the structure keeps soaking into framing and insulation, and the damage grows while the house waits. Standing water must be removed, and the wet materials must be dried with equipment and readings.
What should I do if more rain is forecast?
Call the line before the rain comes, and say that the house is partly dried. The crew can check the openings and adjust the drying so the new water is removed promptly. Keep containers ready under the drips.
Does a storm claim need the roof repair to be finished first?
No. The drying and the record can go ahead while the roof is repaired. The insurer will want to see both the repair and the drying, and the two records should show the dates of each.
How soon should I call after the storm?
As soon as you find water. Calls are answered 24/7, and a technician is sent as soon as one is free. Describe the water and the openings, and say whether it is still coming in.
Sources
This guide is general information for Cleveland County homeowners, not a substitute for an on-site inspection. Prices are estimates. See our disclaimer.