Free tools · Every figure sourced · No signup Water damage, without the panic pricing. Standing water right now? Safety first — don't step into water that could be touching anything electrical. Then move fast: drywall wicks water upward and mold can start within 24–48 hours, so every hour adds cost.
Sparks, a burning smell, a buzzing panel, or anyone in contact with water and electricity: get everyone out and call 911.
IICRC S500 standard Insurance Information Institute FEMA / NFIP EPA
SA By Sam Arora , Founder & Editor · Written with reference to IICRC S500 / III / FEMA guidance · Updated July 4, 2026
Everything here is free tools and straight numbers — sourced from the IICRC S500 restoration standard, the Insurance Information Institute and FEMA's flood program — so you can act fast and negotiate from knowledge.
Start with a tool Live flood events Status lines below come from the National Weather Service active-alerts feed, re-checked every three hours. Where a state shows no status line, we are not monitoring it right now and make no claim either way — the guide itself still applies.
Louisiana flooding Recovery phase — no active NWS flood warnings as of August 16, 2026. What to do as water recedes, NFIP claims, and gradual pump-out. Open guide → Illinois flooding 26 active NWS flood warnings (verified August 16, 2026). Southeastern IL and the Illinois River valley — the basement-state playbook. Open guide → Iowa flooding 5 active NWS flood warnings (verified August 16, 2026). The Des Moines metro (Polk, Dallas, Story) and NE Iowa — pump-out & claims. Open guide → Pennsylvania flash flooding Recovery phase — no active NWS flood warnings as of August 16, 2026. Western PA (Armstrong, Butler, Westmoreland) and the PA Wilds — the water-recedes playbook. Open guide → New Jersey flooding Recovery phase — no active NWS flood warnings as of August 16, 2026. South Jersey (Camden, Gloucester, Burlington) and the Shore (Monmouth, Ocean) — the water-recedes playbook. Open guide → Arkansas flash flooding Recovery phase — no active NWS flood warnings as of August 16, 2026. North-central AR / the Ozarks (Baxter, Searcy, Stone) and the northeast (Lawrence, Sharp). Open guide → West Virginia flash flooding 23 active NWS flood warnings (verified August 16, 2026). The southern coalfields (Boone, Logan, Wyoming) and north-central WV (Gilmer). Open guide → Georgia flash flooding Recovery phase — no active NWS flood warnings as of August 16, 2026. The Augusta area / CSRA (Columbia, Lincoln, Richmond) and southwest GA (Randolph, Terrell). Open guide → Texas flash flooding Recovery phase — no active NWS flood warnings as of August 16, 2026. The Brazos Valley, the coastal plain (Jackson, Wharton) and the Hill Country (Frio, Medina, Uvalde). Open guide → Ohio flash flooding 17 active NWS flood warnings (verified August 16, 2026). Southeastern Ohio and the Ohio River valley (Athens, Scioto, Vinton, Washington). Open guide → Kentucky flash flooding Recovery phase — no active NWS flood warnings as of August 16, 2026. The Lake Cumberland region of south-central KY (Wayne, Clinton, Cumberland, Russell). Open guide → New Mexico flash flooding Recovery phase — no active NWS flood warnings as of August 16, 2026. South-central & southwestern NM (Sierra, Grant, Doña Ana, Lincoln) — the arroyo & slab-home playbook. Open guide → New York City flash flooding Recovery phase — no active NWS flood warnings as of August 16, 2026. NYC, Long Island & Westchester — the basement-apartment water-recedes playbook. Open guide → Alabama flash flooding Recovery phase — no active NWS flood warnings as of August 16, 2026. The Birmingham metro & northeast Alabama (Jefferson, St. Clair, Calhoun, Etowah, Cherokee). Open guide → Massachusetts flooding Recovery phase — no active NWS flood warnings as of August 16, 2026. Western & central MA (Berkshire, Franklin, Hampden, Hampshire, Worcester) — Pioneer Valley & Berkshires. Open guide → Indiana flooding Central Indiana — the Indianapolis metro (Marion), Bartholomew, Brown, Decatur, Hendricks, Johnson, Rush, Shelby — and NW Indiana's Lake County. Open guide → Colorado flash flooding The Front Range — Denver, Adams, Jefferson, Arapahoe, Weld, Larimer — and southeastern Las Animas County: the burn-scar & basement playbook. Open guide → Guides that answer the money questions What restoration really costs The full 2026 price picture: per-square-foot rates, what drives jobs from $1,300 to $10,000+, and where quotes pad. Read → Flooded basement cleanup Pump-out timing, electricity safety, what's salvageable, costs by depth — and the flood-vs-pipe insurance trap. Read → Does insurance cover it? Every scenario in one table — burst pipes to floods — plus denial reasons and how to fight back. Read → Burst pipe playbook The two bills (plumber vs restoration), the freeze facts, and the four moves that save thousands. Read → Ceiling water damage The bulge rule, reading stains like an inspector, and repair costs from patch to replacement. Read → Mold remediation costs The other vertical: what remediation really costs, the EPA’s 10 sq ft DIY line, when insurance pays, and city-by-city numbers. Read → Mold: the 48-hour clock When DIY is safe (EPA's 10 sq ft rule), what remediation costs, and why insurance caps it. Read → Sewer backup The black-water job: why sewage is Category 3, what cleanup runs, and the backup endorsement that decides who pays. Read → Water heater leaking Top-vs-bottom diagnosis, the power-then-water shut-off order, real replacement costs, and the sudden-vs-gradual insurance line. Read → Washing machine leaking The power-then-water shut-off order, hose-vs-drum diagnosis, clean-vs-grey-water cleanup costs, and what insurance pays. Read → Dishwasher leaking The power-then-water shut-off order, door-vs-bottom diagnosis, why the water hides under cabinets, and the sudden-vs-gradual insurance line. Read → Refrigerator leaking water The power-then-water shut-off order, behind-vs-inside-vs-underneath diagnosis, why the ice-maker line hides the leak, and the sudden-vs-gradual insurance line. Read → Air conditioner leaking water The power-then-contain order, clogged-drain-vs-frozen-coil-vs-cracked-pan diagnosis, why the ceiling hides the leak, and the sudden-vs-gradual insurance line. Read → Sump pump failure Power-before-water safety, why pumps quit in storms, grey-water cleanup costs, and the backup/sump-overflow endorsement that decides who pays. Read → Water under the kitchen sink The shut-off-then-find-it order, supply-vs-drain-vs-disposal diagnosis, why the cabinet hides the leak, and the sudden-vs-gradual insurance line. Read → Four things worth owning before the next leak Disclosure: the links below are Amazon affiliate links. If you buy through them, Amazon pays us a small commission. As an Amazon Associate, Restoration Answers earns from qualifying purchases. We only list gear that genuinely helps in these situations, and you're always free to buy the same items anywhere else.
Pinless moisture meter - the cheapest way to check a contractor's “it's still wet” claim yourself — drying days are the single biggest line on most invoices Submersible utility pump - moves standing water while you wait; hours matter more than horsepower once the 48-hour mold clock starts Wet/dry shop vacuum - for the last inch a pump cannot lift, and for soaked carpet pad Water leak alarms - under the heater, the washer and the sink — the failures on this site's most-read pages are all ones an alarm catches while they are still cheap Water damage restoration cost by city Local cost breakdowns, insurance notes and emergency steps for 91 metros across 34 states — find yours:
Every hour it sits, water damage gets more expensive — drywall wicks water upward and mold can start within 24–48 hours. Restoration companies commonly advertise 24/7 emergency lines, but there is no published standard for how fast a crew must arrive — ANSI/IICRC S500 sets no arrival window — so ask for a committed arrival time when you call, and get it in writing.
Need a pro fast?
Call your insurer's 24-hr claims line first — most dispatch a vetted mitigation firm and pay it directly. Search the IICRC Global Locator (opens on IICRC's own site) and filter for Water Damage Restoration (WRT). Whoever you call, ask three questions: Are you IICRC-certified? Will your written scope state the water category? Do you bill my insurer directly? If anyone demands a large cash payment before work starts, hang up. How we make money: nobody paid for a number on this page — there is no number here to pay for. If a page on this site ever does list one, a single local company pays a flat monthly sponsorship for that page's call slot — never you, and never a fee per call. The guidance above and below does not change either way. You never pay us anything, and you are always free to call any company directly instead.
Don't know your insurer's number? Tap your company: These are the insurers' own public claim lines — we are not affiliated and earn nothing from these calls.
Why trust this Every figure on this site is traceable to a published source — industry cost guides, the Insurance Information Institute, FEMA's flood program, and the IICRC restoration standard — and each page lists its sources at the bottom. No lead forms, no email walls, no invented “instant quotes.” When we can't know something (like what's inside your walls), we say so and tell you who can.
This is general information, not insurance, legal, or engineering advice. Estimates are planning ranges, not quotes — always get on-site assessments, and confirm coverage against your own policy wording or with your insurer.