Floodwater in Your Skagit County House: What to Do First

Flood season on the Skagit usually runs from about November into winter, when atmospheric river storms dump rain on snow in the Cascades and the river climbs fast. In November 2021, Mount Vernon saw a near record flood and set up its downtown floodwall. Plenty of homes in Burlington, Sedro-Woolley, La Conner, and the low parts of Mount Vernon have taken water before, and some will again.

If river water gets into your house this winter, the first few days decide how big the job gets. Here is what to do first, in order.

Step 1: Stay out until it is safe

Floodwater is not the same as a burst pipe. It carries mud, fuel, farm runoff, and sewage. The Washington State Department of Health treats water from rivers and lakes as black water, the most contaminated category.

Before you go back in:

• Wait for the all clear from Skagit County emergency officials. If you have not already, sign up for CodeRED alerts through the county so you get flood warnings on your phone.
• Do not walk through standing water in the house if the power could still be on. Have the electricity shut off at the meter or panel by someone qualified if water reached outlets or the panel.
• Smell gas? Leave and call the gas company from outside.
• Wear rubber boots, gloves, and an N95 or better mask once you do go in.

Step 2: Document before you move anything

Take photos and video of every room, the water line on the walls, and damaged contents before you start pulling things out. Get the outside too: the yard, the foundation, and any debris the water left.

Then call your insurance company and start a claim. One thing many people find out too late: a standard homeowners policy usually does not cover flood. Flood damage is typically covered by a separate flood policy, often through FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program, and new policies usually have a 30 day waiting period. If you are in a floodplain and do not have one, October is the time to ask your agent, not the week the river crests.

After the 2021 flood, Skagit County also asked residents to file damage reports, even for minor losses, because that data helps the county qualify for federal assistance. Watch for that request after any major flood.

Step 3: Get the water and wet materials out

The EPA guidance is to dry wet building materials within 24 to 48 hours to keep mold from getting established. In a Skagit County winter, with damp air and no sun, nothing dries that fast on its own. And with floodwater, drying alone is not enough, because the materials are contaminated.

What usually has to go:

• Carpet and pad that sat in floodwater
• Drywall and insulation below and a bit above the water line (this is called a flood cut)
• Particleboard furniture and cabinets that swelled
• Mattresses, upholstered furniture, and soft goods that cannot be properly cleaned

What can often be saved:

• Solid wood framing, once it is cleaned and dried
• Hard, nonporous items like metal, glass, and some solid wood furniture
• Concrete floors and foundation walls, after cleaning and disinfection

If it is porous and it sat in river water, plan on losing it. Trying to dry and keep contaminated drywall or carpet is how a flood turns into a mold problem by spring.

Step 4: Clean, disinfect, then dry

Once the wet materials are out, the remaining structure gets cleaned of silt and mud, then disinfected. After that comes structural drying with air movers and dehumidifiers, checked with moisture meters, until the framing and subfloor are back to normal levels.

Do not close the walls back up on a guess. Framing can feel dry to the touch and still read wet inside. Rebuilding over damp studs traps that moisture behind new drywall.

If water got under the house, check the crawl space too. Our post on water in your crawl space after fall rain covers what to look for down there.

What a professional flood cleanup includes

When we handle a flood loss, the job usually looks like this:

1. Safety check for electrical, gas, and structural hazards
2. Water extraction with pumps and truck mounted equipment
3. Removal of contaminated materials (carpet, pad, drywall, insulation)
4. Cleaning and disinfection of the remaining structure
5. Moisture mapping and structural drying until readings are back to normal
6. Mold check on framing before anything gets closed up
7. Photos, moisture logs, and documentation for your insurance file

For more on where restoration stops and rebuilding starts, see what water damage restoration actually covers.

Before the river comes up: a quick checklist

• Look up your flood risk on the FEMA flood maps or through Skagit County's flood page
• Ask your insurance agent whether you have flood coverage, and how long a new policy takes to start
• Sign up for county emergency alerts
• Move valuables, documents, and photos off the floor and out of the basement or garage
• Know where your main water, power, and gas shutoffs are
• Take a quick video walkthrough of your house now, so you have a before record

When to call

If floodwater got into your home in Mount Vernon, Burlington, Sedro-Woolley, or anywhere in Skagit County, the sooner it gets out, the less you lose. Cleaner Guys has been handling water damage across the Puget Sound area for more than 20 years.

Call us at 360-757-4300 once it is safe to go back in, and we will help you sort out what can be saved, what has to go, and how to get the house dry.