Tips for what to do if your basement floods

Relax, we got you – MoveBuddy’s guide to dealing with common household challenges

If you have a basement in your home, you know the fear.  

Every time it rains hard, or the lake or river starts to rise, you start to worry. Will this be the time that the water breaks through and you get a flooded basement?  

A basement flood is a messy proposition, but one that we know that you can handle.  

MoveBuddy is here to help. The next time you experience basement flooding just follow these steps and you’ll have things back the way they were in no time.  

1. Make sure everyone is safe: When you see that there is standing water in your basement, you should immediately account for everyone in your house. This is especially important if the flooding was a result of a storm or other fast acting phenomena. Water is powerful and it can be dangerous. Check to make sure everyone who lives in the house is accounted for. Don’t forget about pets.

2. Cut the electricity: Once we are sure that everyone is safe, you should cut the electricity into the basement. This will prevent injury from electrocution.  

3. Find the source: Before you can repair the damage caused in your flooded basement, you need to make sure that the leak has stopped and that there is no more water entering the home. Do not cut corners here. Hire a professional to fix the damage that caused the leak.  

4. Drain the basement and let it dry out: Once you have stopped the leak, it’s time to start the cleanup. You will need to remove all standing water and then allow the area to thoroughly dry out. To do that you will need to purchase or rent industrial fans and dehumidifiers. Making sure the basement is fully dry is important as you can get mold damage if you fail to dry it out completely.  There are anti-mold sprays that you can treat the surfaces with.  

5. Inspect the damage: Once the water is out and it’s safe to go into the space you’ll need to evaluate what needs to be repaired, what can be salvaged and what needs to be replaced. Take lots of photos in case you need to make an insurance claim. Some less vital items that were damaged could be fixed at a later date. Put them into a storage locker until you are ready to make the repairs. The cost of storage for a short period will be less than what it will be to replace the items.  

6. Turn lemons into lemonade: Unless the damage is minimal, you are probably going to need to do some repairs on the basement. Rather than look at this as a burden, you can take the opportunity to create a space that you have been dreaming of. Hire a contractor and get working on the perfect space!

Having a flooded basement is no fun, but it’s nothing you can’t take care of.  

Check back on the MoveBuddy Learning Centre regularly for tips on how to handle other common issues in your home.