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Homeowner lifting a floor lamp and box off a living room floor covered in a thin sheet of water

What to Do After Water Damage: The First Hour

Standing in water right now?

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(888) 217-4707How the line works

Work through this page in order, and call (888) 217-4707, 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Pacific, when you reach the "call" step. HB Water Damage is an independent referral line that connects Huntington Beach homeowners with independent restoration contractors.

IndependentNot owned by a contractor.

Check any licenseVerify at cslb.ca.gov.

Answered daily7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Pacific

Huntington Beach areaPlus 20 nearby cities

In short

In the first hour after water damage, keep people away from water near electricity or sewage, stop the source at the nearest valve, photograph everything before moving it, then call a restoration contractor and your insurer. Drying within 24 to 48 hours usually prevents mold.

Minutes 0 to 5: safety

  • If water has reached outlets, power strips or a plugged-in appliance, do not step into it. If the breaker panel is dry and reachable, switch off the circuits for those rooms; if not, leave and call.
  • Look at the water. Clean water from a supply line is Category 1 under the IICRC S500 standard. Water from a dishwasher, washing machine or toilet bowl is Category 2. Sewage, water rising from a floor drain, street or channel flood water, and hillside mud are Category 3: keep children and pets out, and do not clean it yourself.
  • A ceiling that bulges with water can come down. Stay out from under it.
Hand flipping the main breaker in a gray electrical panel in a garage with a puddle below

Minutes 5 to 15: stop the water

  1. The main house valve. In most Huntington Beach tract homes it is on the outside wall facing the street or near the garage, sometimes in a box by the front walk. Turn a lever-style ball valve a quarter turn; turn a round gate valve clockwise until it stops.
  2. The meter box at the curb. A concrete lid marked "water". The valve often needs a meter key. Use it only if the house valve is stuck, and tell the contractor you did.
  3. Fixture and appliance valves. Behind the washer, under sinks, behind toilets, and the cold-water valve on top of the water heater.

If the water is coming from a broken main in the street, contact the City of Huntington Beach Utilities Division (after hours, the City directs water emergencies to the Police Department). If the water is rain or runoff, there is no valve; block door thresholds with sandbags or rolled towels and move to the next step.

Minutes 15 to 30: protect and document

Homeowner photographing soaked carpet and a water-stained wall with a smartphone
Two-story suburban house under a blue sky

Photograph before you move anything

Each room from the doorway, the water line on walls and cabinets, the source, and each damaged item. A narrated video works too.

Move what you can

Rugs, electronics, papers, furniture. Put aluminum foil or plastic under the legs of furniture you cannot move.

Keep damaged items

Until the adjuster has seen them or approved disposal in writing.

Write a short log

When you found the water, when you stopped it, and who you called.

What to have ready when you call
  • The address, including the zip code
  • What is wet: which rooms, floors, walls or ceilings
  • Where the water came from and when it started
  • Whether water is still coming in
  • Whether you have homeowners or renters insurance
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(888) 217-4707

Minutes 30 to 60: call the right people

  1. A restoration contractor. Extraction and drying equipment running within the first day is what keeps a clean-water loss from turning into a demolition job. (888) 217-4707 connects you with an independent contractor who covers your area.

  2. Your insurer. Report the loss promptly. Describe what you saw; do not guess at causes you have not confirmed. Sudden losses such as a burst pipe are usually covered; gradual leaks, flood and sewer backup usually are not without extra coverage. See cost and insurance.

  3. Your landlord, property manager or HOA if you rent or live in a condo; the loss may reach neighboring units.
  4. A plumber, if a pipe or sewer line caused it. The restoration crew dries the house; the plumber fixes the pipe.

Water in your home right now? Call and get connected to an independent restoration contractor who covers your street.

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(888) 217-4707

What not to do

  • Do not run household fans over sewage or flood water; moving air spreads contamination.
  • Do not tear out wet drywall or flooring before it is photographed, unless a ceiling is about to fall.
  • Do not wait overnight on wet carpet. The pad and subfloor stay wet long after the surface feels dry.
  • Do not use bleach instead of drying. The EPA's guidance is to fix the moisture and dry materials; bleach does not dry anything.

The 24 to 48 hour rule

The EPA advises drying water-damaged areas and items within 24 to 48 hours to prevent mold growth. In practice, that means extraction and drying equipment running by the end of the first day, then several days of drying with daily moisture readings. Material that cannot reach its dry standard in that time, such as saturated carpet pad or drywall below the water line, is removed. If mold has already appeared, see mold remediation.

Air movers and a dehumidifier running in a stripped room with drywall cut and damp studs exposed

Frequently asked questions

Should I call the insurer or the contractor first?

Photograph first, then call both within the hour. The contractor stops the damage from growing; the insurer needs to be told promptly.

Can I turn the water back on to use the bathroom?

Only if the failed line is isolated by its own valve. If you had to close the main, leave it off until a plumber has checked the leak.

The water looks clean. Do I still need a professional?

A small spill on tile can be mopped up. Water that reached carpet, drywall, cabinets or subfloor needs moisture readings, because the hidden wet material is what grows mold.

My ceiling is dripping from the unit upstairs. Whose problem is it?

Photograph it, notify the HOA or landlord in writing, and get the damage in your unit dried. Responsibility is settled afterwards; drying cannot wait for it.

How do I know the contractor is legitimate?

Check the CSLB license number at cslb.ca.gov, ask for liability and workers' compensation insurance certificates, and get a written scope before work starts. More on How it works.

Water spreading across a kitchen floor from under the sink at night with a phone on the counter
7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Pacific

Water in your home? Talk to someone now.

One call reaches an independent restoration contractor who covers your area. The contractor handles the inspection, the estimate and the work.

Call
(888) 217-4707

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