Water extraction and drying for Suffolk homes and businesses hit by fast-rising creek water after heavy rain.
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Creek flash flood damage is the harm done to a building when a creek or a stormwater channel rises quickly and water enters the structure. Suffolk Water Damage Restoration connects callers with a local crew, sent as soon as one is free, to extract the water, measure what it reached and dry the building. Phones are answered 24/7.
Flash flooding from a creek moves faster than river flooding, and it often arrives after a storm has already passed over the city. During Hurricane Matthew in October 2016, a creek in downtown Suffolk crossed a road and swept a car away, and that is the kind of event this page is about. Water of that speed does not just wet the floor. It can lift and move objects, push through doors and leave a load of silt and debris behind when it drops.
Creek water is rarely clean. It has crossed yards, streets and storm drains on its way to the house, and it can carry soil, leaves, trash, oil and in some cases sewage. The first thing to do is keep out of the water. A current that can move a car can also knock a person down, and the water may hide holes in the ground, fallen branches or loose debris that is not visible from the bank.
Once the water has gone down, the building still needs work. Suffolk Water Damage Restoration sends a local crew to extract the water, take readings across the rooms and wall cavities, and set up drying to measured targets. The crew explains each step on site, and the price is explained and approved before the work continues.
Stay out of fast-moving water and out of any creek channel, even when it looks shallow. Do not drive or walk through flowing water on a road. After the water has gone down, do not enter a building with a sagging floor, cracked foundation or a smell of gas. Keep children and pets away from silt and debris, which can hide sharp objects and contamination.
Flash water can keep moving for some time after the rain stops, and the ground around the house can stay unsafe. Once the water is out of the yard and the street, call the line. The technician asks where the water came from and how fast it rose, because that shapes the risk to the structure.
On arrival the crew walks the outside of the house before going in. It looks for damage to the foundation, the doors, the steps and the crawl space vents, and it notes debris that may have entered. Where the structure may be unsafe, the crew says so and the work waits.
Standing water is pumped out and the silt and debris are cleared from the floor and the lower rooms. Creek water leaves a sticky layer that holds moisture against the surface, so the crew cleans it off before drying begins. The removed debris is set aside for the homeowner to see if needed.
Moisture meters are used on the walls, the subfloor, the joists in the crawl space and the baseboards at the doors. The creek water often reaches places the homeowner did not expect, so the readings are taken at several heights and in each room the water touched.
Air movers and dehumidifiers are set in the affected rooms, and readings are taken at each visit. The technician keeps a written log and photographs the damage before and after each stage. Materials that cannot be dried are described and approved before they are removed.
A fast rise moves more water with more force, pushes it into openings that normally stay dry and leaves debris and silt behind. Speed matters for the structure, for the safety of the people inside and for the number of places the water reaches before anyone notices.
Fast water pushes against doors, vents and the foundation, and it can move the contents of a room before anyone can respond. A door that was closed may be forced open or jammed, and the water then reaches rooms that would otherwise have stayed dry. Vents in a crawl space can let water in faster than the crawl space can drain.
Flash floods also tend to leave the house with a layer of debris that holds water against the surfaces. The silt does not simply rinse away, and if it is left in place it keeps the materials wet longer. Clearing it is part of the job, not an optional extra.
Creek water is usually treated the same way as river or flood water, as contaminated, because it has crossed soil, yards and streets and may carry sewage. The crew handles it with protection and assesses the porous materials it has touched before deciding what can be dried.
The source of the water matters less than what it has touched on the way in. A creek that runs past a septic field or a storm drain may carry more contamination than one that runs through open woods. The technician asks about the route, because the route suggests what the water picked up.
Creek water can also contain fuel, oil and chemicals from roads and yards. The crew does not guess about these. If the water smells of fuel or has an unusual sheen, the technician says so, and the work is planned with that in mind.
Check the doors, the vents and the lower walls for water and debris, and do not enter any room with standing water or a sagging floor. Photograph the damage before cleaning, and call the line so the crew can measure what is still wet.
From outside, look at the foundation for new cracks, the steps for movement, the fence for lean and the vents for debris. Note what you see with a photograph and a date. From inside, look for water lines and for doors that no longer close properly. Do not open the crawl space access unless the water has been out for a while and it is safe to do so.
If the house has a finished basement, a cellar or a slab-on-grade floor, the water may have come through the lowest point. Check the floor drain, the sump if there is one, and the joint between the floor and the wall. Report what you find, so the crew knows where to measure first.
Drying can start quickly once the water is out and the debris is cleared, but the speed depends on the materials and the readings. Surface drying is quick. The moisture inside walls and floors takes longer and needs measured checks to confirm.
The crew can set equipment within a few hours of arriving, but the drying time depends on how far the water went. Drywall that has wicked water upward may need to come out, and subfloor that has been soaked can take days to dry in place. The readings decide which is needed.
Ask the technician to explain the drying target for each material, and to show you the log at each visit. A room is dry when its readings reach the target and stay there, and that is the only way to be sure it is safe to close the walls again.
Photograph outdoor items and fencing as they are, and keep them out of the house. The crew works on the building, not on outdoor property, so the homeowner handles the yard and the fence, sometimes with help from the insurer.
Leaning fences, sheds and shifted landscaping are often the first sign that the water moved fast. Photograph them from several angles before anything is moved. Keep a record of what was there, because the insurer may ask for it, and because it helps to know what you have lost when the yard is cleared.
Do not touch power lines, fallen wires or a shed that may be unstable. Report any electrical hazard to the utility first. Once the hazard is cleared, the technician can advise on the house, while the yard work can be planned around the building's drying.
When creek water runs across the yard and reaches the front or back door, it often pushes against the threshold and the lower wall. The crew checks the door frame, the sill, the wall beside the door and the floor inside. Water that enters through a door can spread quickly into the rooms around it.
Creek water can enter a crawl space through the vents and the access opening, then wet the joists and the underside of the subfloor. The living space above may look dry while the framing below holds water. The crew measures from underneath as well as from the room.
After a creek recedes it can leave silt, leaves, branches and trash inside the house and against the foundation. Silt holds moisture and can stain surfaces, while debris can damage drywall and insulation when it is pushed into the wall base. The crew removes the debris and checks the materials beneath it.
Water that presses against a foundation or a lower wall can crack the masonry, separate trim from the wall or move the sill. The technician notes any visible structural change and recommends that a qualified person look at it, because a drying crew does not repair the structure.
During Matthew a creek downtown crossed a road and swept a car away. That event shows how quickly water can move through the city's streets and how little warning a homeowner may have. A house near any creek or drainage channel is worth thinking about before the next storm.
Because creek water often reaches a house along the ground, the risk is greatest at the lowest points: the crawl space, the cellar, the back door and the threshold. The crew checks these areas first, because they are where a creek usually leaves its mark and where the water is most likely to stay.
The city's drainage can be overwhelmed in heavy rain, so a creek can rise even where the house is not close to the water. A flood that comes from the street drains rather than from the creek bank is handled in the same way, and the technician asks the source question either way.
Tell us what's happening and we'll tell you honestly whether it's a quick fix, and what creek flash flood damage should cost.
Not sure if you're covered? Check your ZIP code.
Water extraction and drying for Suffolk homes flooded by the Nansemond River or by heavy rain over the streets.
Fast pumping and wet vacuum removal of standing water in Suffolk homes, before drying can start.
Moisture readings and drying for crawl spaces and cellars that took storm, flood or groundwater in a Suffolk home.
Water extraction and drying for Suffolk homes that flooded even though the flood map did not show them at risk.
Hurricane Matthew in October 2016 flooded homes across Virginia, and many of the roughly 2,000 homes flooded statewide were outside the mapped floodplain, according to Virginia Emergency Management.
Not until the water has receded and the building has been checked for structural damage and electrical hazards. A house can look fine from the doorway and still have a weakened floor or a live circuit. Wait for the technician or for the local authorities to clear the building.
A crew is sent as soon as one is free, and phones are answered 24 hours a day. No arrival time is promised, because a flood can bring in many calls from one area at the same time. Describe what you can see on the phone so the call can be prioritized.
Yes, the silt and debris that the water left inside the house are part of the cleanup. The crew removes the loose material and cleans the surfaces where silt would otherwise hold moisture against the floor and the walls.
That depends on your policy. Flood water from a creek is often excluded from standard homeowner policies, while some separate flood coverage may apply. Read your policy and ask your insurer directly. The crew can provide photographs and readings for the claim.
Photograph it where it lies and keep people away from it. Report it to your insurer and, if it is on a road, to the local authorities. Do not drive a car that was in moving water until it has been checked, because water can damage the engine and the electrical system.
Often, yes, but the crawl space has to be measured first. The crew checks the joists, the insulation and the vapor barrier for moisture and sets equipment to dry the space to readings. Water and debris are cleared from the crawl space before drying begins.