After an ice-jam flood, the first priorities are safety, stopping more water from entering and photographing the water line before anything is moved. Extraction should start before the water sits. Calls are answered around the clock, and a crew is sent as soon as one is free.
Key takeaways
- Keep out of flood water until the electricity to the area is off and the stairs have been checked.
- Stop the entry where you safely can, by closing windows and checking window wells and the bulkhead.
- Photograph the water line on the walls and the level on stored goods before anything is moved.
- Start extraction as soon as a crew is available, because water that sits soaks deeper into floors and walls.
- Treat creek water as contaminated, and keep it off your skin until it has been removed.
- Keep the note, the readings and the photographs, since they are the records a claim will need.
What is an ice jam, and why does it flood a cellar?
An ice jam forms when broken ice lodges against a bridge, a bend or a narrow channel and holds back the water behind it. The water then climbs over the banks and into nearby streets and cellars.
A creek carries ice in a thaw. When the pieces meet an obstacle, they stack up and form a dam. The water behind the dam has nowhere to go, so it rises. A flood from an ice jam can arrive within hours and last until the jam breaks or melts.
Buffalo's record includes several such floods. The National Weather Service Buffalo history describes ice-jam flooding in February 1984 across the Buffalo area, when hundreds of basements in south Buffalo took a foot or more of water, and in February 1985, when jams on Cazenovia, Buffalo and Cayuga creeks led to evacuations.
What do you do in the first minutes?
Stay out of the water, switch off the electricity to the flooded area from a dry spot, and keep others away from the stairs. Do not walk into a flooded cellar until the stairs and the power have been checked.
Flood water can hide a broken step, a sagging joist or a live cord. Stand on the top step rather than in the water, and cut the power at the panel only if the panel is dry and reachable. If it is not, call the utility and keep everyone upstairs until the power is confirmed off.
Gas equipment in a flooded cellar is a separate hazard. A furnace or a water heater that has been in water should not be used until it has been checked, and the gas should be turned off at the supply if there is any doubt.
How do you stop more water from coming in?
Find the openings the water is using, such as the bulkhead, the window wells, the back door and the gap at the foundation. Blocking or closing them slows the flow, but do not put yourself at risk to do it.
Water from a creek can keep coming in through the lowest openings for as long as the flood lasts. Window wells and bulkheads are the usual routes. If they can be closed safely, close them, and move anything that can be moved to higher ground.
Do not try to reach a flooded area by walking through moving water, and do not stand near a bridge or culvert to watch the creek. The safest way to slow the flow is to close what is near and call for help.
What should you photograph before you move anything?
Photograph the water line on the walls, the level of the water on stored goods and furniture, and any damage to the floors and the ceiling. Keep the photographs with the time you first saw the water.
The water line is the most important record. It shows how high the water rose, which is the first thing a crew and an insurer will ask about. Photograph it from a few angles and include something of known size, such as a door frame, for scale.
Photograph the stored goods where they sit, since the water line on them shows the depth at the time. Once the photographs are taken, items can be moved to a dry place, and the moving should be recorded as well.
| When | What to do | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| First minutes | Stay out of the water and cut power at a dry panel | Live wiring and hidden hazards in flood water |
| First hour | Close openings that are letting water in, if it is safe | Stops the flow from adding to the damage |
| First hour | Photograph the water line and the damage | Creates the record the crew and any claim will use |
| First hours | Call a crew and describe the source and the depth | Lets the crew plan the trip and the equipment |
| Before drying | Keep the note and the readings from each visit | Shows the work done and when the building is dry |
When should extraction start?
Extraction should start as soon as the crew can reach the building, because standing water soaks into floors, walls and the wood above them. Waiting lets the damage spread, so the call should be made as soon as the water is seen.
Creek water left standing in a cellar soaks into masonry and the wood at the top of the wall. The longer it sits, the more moisture the framing takes, and the more of the wall has to be opened later. Extraction is the step that stops the damage from growing.
No arrival time can be promised before the situation is known. A crew is sent as soon as one is free, and a clear description on the first call helps it plan the visit and bring the right pumps and hoses.
How do you deal with the silt and the water itself?
Creek water carries silt, debris and sometimes sewage, so it is handled as contaminated. Silt should be left for the crew to remove, not washed down the drain, and the water should not be touched with bare hands.
A creek in flood leaves a fine layer of silt on every surface it touches. Silt holds moisture against the floor and the walls, and it can clog drains and a sump. Washing it down the drain is a common mistake that makes the cleanup harder.
Wear waterproof boots and gloves if you must enter the area, and wash your hands and any exposed skin after contact. Keep children and pets away from the water until it has been removed and the area is cleared.
What should you keep for the claim and the repair?
Keep the photographs, the crew's note, the readings and any receipts for emergency work. Ask the insurer which records it needs, and keep copies of everything you send.
The insurer decides the claim under the policy, and the New York State Department of Financial Services regulates insurers for general questions. The records that help most are the photographs of the water line, the note of the readings and the list of materials removed.
Keep a record of the time you first saw the water, the time you called and the time the crew arrived. Those times are part of the story the insurer will check, and they help the owner recall the sequence of events accurately.
What happens over the following days?
The drying continues until the readings show the materials are dry, and the work is checked on each visit. Repairs to the source and the finishes follow once the building is dry.
Drying is measured, not guessed. The crew returns to take readings, and it stops when the materials reach a dry level. A cellar wall can look dry on the surface while its inside holds water, so the readings matter more than the look of the room.
Mold can appear on wet materials that stay wet. Watch for a musty smell or dark spots after the drying, and ask the crew about any mold work before it is carried out, since New York requires licences for that work.
What should you do in the first day after the water is out?
Keep the building ventilated as the crew directs, keep people out of rooms that are still wet, and watch for new damp or odour. The first day is about checking the drying, not repairing finishes.
Once extraction is done, the drying equipment usually runs for a long time. Keep the doors to the affected rooms closed if the crew asks, so the air moves where the equipment is set. Do not switch off the equipment on your own, and do not rely on how the floor feels to decide the building is dry.
Watch the cellar and the ground floor for new damp, a musty smell or water that comes back through a floor drain. Report any of those to the crew, because they can mean the entry point has not been found. Keep a short log of what you see each day, with the time, so the crew can compare it with its readings.
Do not start repairing the walls or laying new flooring until the crew has confirmed the readings are dry. A finish put over a damp surface traps the moisture, and the damage then continues where it cannot be seen.
Frequently asked questions
Is it safe to go into my cellar after an ice-jam flood?
Not until the electricity to the area is off and the stairs have been checked. Flood water hides hazards, and creek water is contaminated. Wait for a crew if you are unsure.
Should I run the sump pump?
Only if the power is safe and the discharge is clear. A pump under water with its power on is a shock risk, so check it from a dry spot first.
What if the creek keeps rising?
Keep away from the creek and from flood water on the roads. Call the local emergency line if you are in danger, and call a crew once the water is safe to work around.
Can I clean the silt off the floor myself?
Leave the silt for the crew. Wet silt is heavy, holds moisture and can clog drains. Removing it correctly is part of the drying, and the crew assesses the floor covering beneath it.
Who pays for the damage?
That depends on the policy and the cause of the water, and the insurer decides. Keep the records and ask the insurer what it needs. The New York State Department of Financial Services regulates insurers for general questions.
Sources
This guide is general information for Erie County homeowners, not a substitute for an on-site inspection. Prices are estimates. See our disclaimer.