Water damage questions, answered

It depends on your location, the weather and how many calls providers are handling. During a big Russian River flood, roads such as River Road and Highway 116 can close, so access may wait until the water drops. Call us any time and we'll pass your request to an available local provider right away.

No. We're a referral service. We connect you with independent restoration providers who do the work, set their own prices and carry their own licenses and insurance. Using our service is free for homeowners.

Usually not. Sonoma County Emergency Management notes that standard homeowners policies don't cover flooding. Flood coverage comes from a separate policy, such as one from the National Flood Insurance Program, which typically takes about 30 days to start. Sudden plumbing leaks are a different matter and are often covered, subject to your policy.

Stay safe: keep out of water near outlets or appliances, and never walk or drive through floodwater. Stop the source if you can (shut the main water valve for a plumbing leak), photograph everything, and call your insurer and a restoration provider.

We connect homeowners across Sonoma County, including Santa Rosa, Petaluma, Rohnert Park, Cotati, Windsor, Healdsburg, Sebastopol, Sonoma, Glen Ellen, Kenwood, Cloverdale, Forestville, Guerneville and the lower Russian River.

It depends on the materials and how wet they got. A provider should take daily readings and stop when materials reach dry targets, not on a fixed schedule.

Often yes for a small, clean-water leak. Larger losses, floodwater or sewage may make parts of the home unsafe until cleanup is done. Ask your provider and insurer.

For a small clean-water spill on a hard floor, yes, if there's no electrical risk. For anything larger, or for floodwater, professional extraction and drying is usually the safer call.

Many policies cover reasonable emergency mitigation after a covered loss. Check with your insurer and keep every receipt.

Floodwater-soaked drywall and insulation are usually removed, because they're porous and the water was contaminated. A provider will measure how high moisture wicked and cut above that line.

A flood policy, if you have one. Homeowners policies generally exclude flooding. Disaster assistance may be available after a declared disaster; watch SoCoEmergency for announcements.

Shut off the water first. Then call both: the plumber fixes the pipe and the restoration provider dries the house.

Fans help with a tiny spill. For anything that soaked into walls, floors or cabinets, moisture meters and dehumidifiers are needed to confirm it's actually dry.

If sewage is limited to one area and you can keep away from it, maybe. If it's widespread, or anyone in the home is vulnerable, staying elsewhere until cleanup is done is safer.

Common causes include roots in the sewer lateral, grease and wipes, broken pipes, and sewer mains or septic systems overwhelmed in heavy rain.

Water that comes in through storm damage, like a roof opening torn by wind, is often covered. Rising floodwater from outside usually isn't, unless you have flood insurance.

Don't wait to prevent more damage. Document everything with photos first, then start mitigation. Insurers generally expect you to protect the property.