5 Emergency Steps to Take Within the First 24 Hours After Water Damage

The very first thing you must do — before calling anyone, before moving belongings, before taking photos — is stop the source of water and confirm the area is safe to enter. Every second a water source continues flowing adds to the total volume of water your home must absorb, and every gallon increases extraction time, drying time, and restoration cost.

Shut off your main water supply valve immediately if the damage is from a plumbing source. In Greater New Orleans, the main shut-off valve is typically located near the water meter — at the street in a covered box, or near your home’s point of entry. Know this location before any emergency occurs. Valves that haven’t been turned in years can seize — confirm yours works today, not during a crisis.

If the water source is external — rising floodwater, a roof leak, or groundwater intrusion — you cannot stop the source. In this case, focus entirely on safety. Do not wade through floodwater of unknown depth. It may contain sewage contamination, chemical runoff, or submerged hazards not visible on the surface. In New Orleans, floodwater from streets routinely contains sewage from overwhelmed drainage systems.

Your First 15 Minutes Checklist

• Locate and turn off your main water shut-off valve if damage is from internal plumbing
• Turn off electricity to affected areas at the breaker panel — only if you can do so safely from a dry location
• Evacuate children, elderly family members, and pets from affected areas immediately
• Do not enter standing water until electrical safety is confirmed
• If floodwater is present from an external source, assume it contains sewage contamination — wear rubber boots and gloves before any contact
• Contact your utility company if you suspect electrical lines, gas lines, or water mains are affected

Once you have confirmed the area is safe to enter, your absolute priority before touching, moving, or removing anything is thorough documentation. This is your insurance claim. The photos and video you take in the next 30 minutes will determine how much money you receive — or whether your claim is approved at all.

In our experience working with homeowners across New Orleans, Metairie, Lakeview, and Gentilly, documentation errors are one of the leading reasons insurance claims are reduced or disputed. Homeowners remove damaged materials and belongings first, then try to document after — and find they cannot prove the scope of damage at the time it occurred.

What to Document Before Cleanup

• Walk every affected room and take wide-angle video showing the full scope before anything is touched
• Photograph water lines on walls — these show the high-water mark and depth of flooding
• Photograph ceiling stains, bubbling paint, warped flooring, and affected baseboards in detail
• Photograph every damaged item of personal property individually — furniture, electronics, clothing, appliances
• Document visible mold growth if already present — even small patches
• Capture the water source itself if safe to photograph — burst pipe, failed appliance, roof damage
• Note the date and time of all photos and video — your phone timestamps automatically

Create a written inventory of damaged belongings alongside your photos — item description, estimated age, and replacement value. Keep digital copies of everything backed up to cloud storage immediately. Your phone photos alone are not enough if the device is lost or damaged during the event.

Two calls should happen within the first hour of any significant water damage event in your New Orleans home. In this order: your insurance company first, then your certified restoration team. Both calls need to happen the same day as the damage event — waiting even 24 hours can have consequences for your coverage and for the scope of damage.

Calling Your Insurance Company

Most Louisiana homeowner’s policies require prompt notification as a condition of coverage. Calling same-day documents the event timeline and initiates your claim. When you call:

• Have your policy number ready before you dial
• State the date, time, and cause of the damage clearly
• Ask specifically: what is covered, what is excluded, and whether there is a preferred vendor list you’re required or recommended to use
• Request a claim number and document it immediately
• Ask about your deductible amount before authorizing any work
• Clarify whether you need an adjuster visit before restoration begins — most insurers allow work to start immediately to prevent further damage

Calling a Certified Restoration Team

Time is the most critical factor in water damage restoration. In New Orleans’ climate, mold can begin growing within 24 hours. Professional water damage restoration begins with emergency extraction of standing water, followed by industrial drying of structural materials — a process that cannot be replicated with household equipment.

When choosing a restoration company in Greater New Orleans, always verify: Louisiana contractor license, general liability and workers compensation insurance, and IICRC certification in water damage restoration. Our team carries all three and is available 24/7 at (504) 520-4646.

Once your insurance company and restoration team have been notified, and documentation is complete, the physical recovery work begins. This phase involves two parallel tracks: professional water extraction of standing water, and homeowner triage of salvageable belongings. Both need to happen as quickly as possible to minimize total damage.

Professional Water Extraction

Standing water must be removed as fast as possible. Professional water extraction uses truck-mounted and portable extraction units that remove thousands of gallons per hour — far beyond what any household equipment can achieve. Our team deploys these immediately upon arrival, prioritizing affected living spaces, then subfloor and crawl space areas.

Do not attempt to extract significant water volumes with a wet-vac or utility pump alone. While these tools can help with small amounts, they cannot achieve the extraction rate needed to prevent structural saturation from setting in during the hours required to empty the space.

Homeowner Triage — What to Move and What to Leave

• Move electronics, documents, photographs, medications, and irreplaceable items to a dry area immediately — these cannot be restored once water damaged
• Move upholstered furniture to dry areas — sofas and chairs absorb water rapidly and are difficult to dry
• Remove small rugs from affected floors but leave large wall-to-wall carpet — let professionals handle it
• Do not move items that are structurally damaged or at risk of collapse
• Do not attempt to use household fans for drying — they move humid air around without achieving structural drying
• Do not use a household vacuum with standing water present — electrical shock hazard

Standing water removal is only the beginning. The far larger challenge — and the one most homeowners underestimate — is removing moisture from structural materials that have absorbed water. Drywall, wood framing, subfloor, insulation, and concrete all retain significant moisture that cannot be seen or felt on the surface but will support mold growth within 24 to 48 hours in New Orleans’ climate.

Professional Structural Drying — What It Involves

Professional water mitigation and structural drying uses three types of equipment working together:

• Commercial air movers — high-velocity fans positioned at specific angles to force moisture out of wall cavities, subfloor, and building materials at rates household fans cannot achieve
• Industrial dehumidifiers — extract the moisture that air movers force out of materials, maintaining low indoor humidity to accelerate drying
• Moisture meters and thermal imaging cameras — daily readings confirm drying progress inside walls and floors where visual inspection cannot reach

This process typically takes 3 to 5 days of continuous equipment operation, with daily monitoring by our certified technicians. Do not allow anyone to shut down drying equipment early based on how surfaces feel — moisture inside wall cavities does not correlate with surface touch.

Mold Prevention in New Orleans’ Climate

New Orleans presents a unique challenge: your home’s ambient humidity is already high year-round. This means structural drying must overcome not just the absorbed water from the event, but also the ongoing ambient moisture in the air. Our team adjusts drying protocols specifically for the local climate — particularly critical during summer months when ambient humidity can exceed 90%.

Before the 24-Hour Mark — Your Complete Checklist

• Water source is confirmed stopped and secured
• Electrical safety confirmed — affected circuits shut off or verified safe
• Complete photo and video documentation completed and backed up
• Insurance company notified — claim number received and documented
• Certified restoration team on-site or scheduled for immediate arrival
• Salvageable belongings moved to dry areas
• Professional water extraction completed or in progress
• Industrial drying equipment deployed and operating
• Daily monitoring schedule confirmed with restoration team