The first two days after river water reaches a lower floor

Step one: is the house safe to enter?

Stay out until the power is off to the flooded rooms and the building has been checked for structural problems. Standing water near outlets, a wet panel and a gas smell are reasons to stay out and call the utility.

A lower floor that has been under moving water may have weakened joists and loose boards. Do not walk on a floor that feels soft or that gives under you, and do not stand where the ceiling is sagging.

If you can see the panel and it is dry, you can switch off the circuits to the flooded rooms from a dry position. If it is wet or you cannot reach it safely, leave the power off at the meter if you can, and let the utility or an electrician deal with it.

Step two: protect yourself from silt and sewage

River water leaves silt, and it can carry sewage from upstream and from the drains. Wear waterproof boots, gloves and a mask when you are near the water, and wash your hands before you eat.

Keep children and pets out of the flooded rooms. Silt dries into a fine dust that is easy to breathe, and it can cut the skin when it hardens on the fingers and the feet.

If the water smells of sewage, or if a drain is coming up through the floor, close off the room and tell the crew when you call. That changes the removal plan and the protective equipment the crew will use.

Step three: photograph the tide line and the damage

Photograph the high-water mark before you move anything. A tide line is the single most useful record of how deep the water was, and it is the first thing an adjuster will look at.

Take a wide photograph of each room with the line visible, and a close one of the line against a measuring object. Photograph the source if it is visible, and the damage on the floor, the walls and the furniture.

Keep the photographs with the date and the time. A short written note of what each one shows helps when you come back to the file weeks later.

• A wide photograph of each room with the tide line in frame
• A close shot of the line against a door frame or a measured object
• Each piece of damaged furniture, before it is moved
• The source, if it is visible from a safe spot

Step four: move what can be moved

Move valuables and small items to a higher, dry place if it is safe to reach them. Do not lift heavy furniture that is standing in water, and do not carry items through water that is above the knee.

Lift items onto tables, shelves or the upper floor, and keep electronics off the floor. Do not switch on any electronics that were in the water.

Keep a list of what was moved and where it went, because the list is part of the record. A discarded item with no note is much harder to claim for.

Step five: what the crew will do next

A crew will extract the standing water, remove the materials that cannot be dried and set up the drying equipment. The first readings are taken on the first visit, and they are repeated on a schedule until the house is dry.

The crew will explain which materials are being removed and why, and it should show you the readings. If you do not understand a decision, ask for it in writing before the material goes out.

The drying is finished when the readings reach standard at every point that was wet, not when the surface looks dry. The final log is the record you will need for the repair and the claim.

Step six: call, and keep the call notes

Call the 24/7 line once it is safe to reach the house. Give the address, the floor, the source if you know it and whether water is still coming in. Note the time of the call and the name of the person you spoke to.

Ask the operator what the first steps are, and follow them while you wait for the crew. A crew is sent as soon as one is free, and no fixed arrival time is promised over the phone.

Keep a short notes file with the times, the names and what you were told. It will be useful if the claim or the repair is discussed later.

Step seven: the first night and the morning after

The first night after a crest is about safety and rest. Keep the house closed off from the flooded rooms, keep the power off to them and check the rest of the house for water that has moved since the afternoon.

Water can keep moving through a house for hours after the crest has passed, especially through the crawl space and the lower walls. Check the rooms you have not touched, and mark the new water line if it has moved. A marked line is the simplest way to show the crew how the water behaved overnight.

In the morning, photograph the rooms again in the same positions as the first photographs. Two sets of photographs taken twelve hours apart show the insurer and the crew how the water moved, and they help the scope.

Step eight: what to do with the furniture on the upper floors

Furniture on the upper floors is usually dry, but the vibration and the humidity of a flooded house can damage it. Move small items up if there is room, and leave large pieces where they are unless they are at risk.

Items that were on the lower floor and have been moved up need the same photograph and list as the rest. The move itself can damage an item, so note its condition before and after. A piece that was damaged in the move is part of the same claim.

Do not store wet items in the upper rooms. Silt and moisture moved up the stairs can spread the damage, and wet fabric in a closed room can grow mold within days.

Step nine: talking to neighbours and the local authority

Neighbours on the same street often face the same water. Talking to them early can help build a clearer picture of the flood, and the local authority may have information about the crest and the roads.

Compare the water lines with your neighbours, and ask whether they have called anyone. Shared information about roads, shut-offs and the way the water moved can help the crew plan the work and can help each claim.

Local authorities publish information about road closures, debris and public services after a crest. Check those before you drive back to the house, and do not enter a flooded area until the authority says it is safe.

Step ten: what to write down before you sleep

Before the first night ends, write a short note of what has happened: the time the water was first seen, the times it rose and fell, what has been photographed and who has been called. The note becomes the start of the file.

Keep the note on paper if you can, because a phone can be lost or damaged in the water. A few lines are enough: the rooms affected, the rough depth of the water, the source as far as you know it and the times of each call.

That note is the most useful thing a crew can see on arrival, and it is the first document an insurer will ask for. Writing it while the details are fresh is far better than trying to reconstruct the night a week later.

Step eleven: what to tell the crew on arrival

On arrival, the crew wants the basics first: where the water came from, when it was found, what has been moved and what has been photographed. Having those answers ready shortens the first visit and makes the scope more accurate.

Hand over the photographs and the note you wrote on the first night, and show the crew the water line and any items you have already moved. Tell the crew about any electrical or gas problem you have seen, and any person in the house with a breathing problem or a health condition.

The crew will ask about the drains, the sewage and the crawl space, so have those details to hand. A short, honest account is more useful than a long one with guesses in it.