Cleanup for storm water and flash flooding that reaches the lower floors, garages and yards of Colorado Springs homes, with the call answered at any hour.
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A flash flood is water that arrives quickly, often in a storm that lasts less than an hour, and it can reach a building through its lowest openings. The cleanup starts with removing the water and the debris it carried, then drying the structure and checking the foundation and floors. Storm water is treated as contaminated because it crosses roads, yards and parking areas before it reaches a home.
A flash flood is different from a slow rise of a river. The water comes off the ground within minutes of heavy rain, and it runs into the low corners of a property, into driveways, under garage doors and against foundation walls. In Colorado Springs the streets that drain toward the creek corridors are where that water gathers most quickly, and a house that sits on a gentle rise can still have its garage flooded when the street drain is overwhelmed.
The loss from a flash flood is a combination of water, mud and debris, and each part of the cleanup has its own sequence. The standing water is removed first. Then the mud and loose material are cleared, and only after that does drying begin. A homeowner who starts drying before the mud is out will find the wet material dries into a crust that holds moisture and is harder to remove later.
Do not walk or drive through moving water, and do not enter a flooded garage until the power has been switched off at the panel. Stay out of water that is in contact with an outlet, a cord or an appliance. Mud can hide sharp debris, so wear boots and gloves when clearing the floor.
Before anyone walks into a flooded garage or lower floor, the power to the affected area is switched off at the panel if the panel is dry and accessible. A flood can hide an open junction box, a downed line or a damaged gas appliance, and the crew checks for those before it enters.
Water is pumped or extracted from the garage and lower floors. Debris, gravel and branches that washed in are cleared by hand, because a wet vacuum will clog on a large piece and mud can block the pump intake.
Mud and silt are washed from concrete, block and tile, and the wash water is removed as it is produced. Wood, cardboard, paper and insulation that stood in the flood are generally removed because the mud is inside them as well as on them.
A flood can undermine a slab edge or open a crack in a foundation wall. The crew notes any new crack, any soft ground at the edge of the house and any gap at the garage threshold, and records them for the homeowner and for a structural professional if one is needed.
Air movers and dehumidifiers are set in the affected rooms, and the moisture readings are logged until the framing and the slab edge reach a dry level. The high-water line is measured and photographed, because it shows how high the flood rose in the building.
Because the storm drains and the lot grading decide where water goes, and a heavy storm can exceed what the drains and the ground can carry. Water runs to the lowest point of the property, which may be a garage or a window well rather than a creek bank.
A storm drain is designed for a certain amount of rain, and when a storm exceeds it, water flows over the street and into driveways. A house sitting below the street level, or on a lot that slopes toward the house, can take water from several directions at once. That is why a flood can reach a home with no creek in sight.
The grading around the house is the part a homeowner can see and change. Soil that slopes toward the foundation holds water against the wall, and a gap in the grading at a downspout sends roof water to the same spot. The cleanup notes the grading so the next storm does not repeat the same route.
Flood is generally excluded from standard homeowner policies, and water from surface runoff or from the ground is treated differently from a sudden discharge inside the house. A separate flood policy or an endorsement is the usual way to cover it.
Policies typically exclude flood and water that enters from outside the building, and that exclusion is the one most often misunderstood. The terms are set by the insurer, and the homeowner should read them before a storm rather than after. The Colorado Division of Insurance regulates insurers in Colorado and takes complaints about how claims are handled.
The photographs, the high-water line, the debris and the readings are the record for any claim. Keep a copy of each, and do not discard damaged material until the insurer has been given the chance to inspect it.
Porous material that stood in the flood is generally removed, because mud cannot be fully cleaned out of it. Hard surfaces can usually be washed and disinfected, and the decision depends on what the water carried and how long it stood.
Drywall that wicked water up from the floor, insulation below the flood line and the lower sections of wood framing are the materials most often removed. Concrete, metal and sealed tile are washed and kept, provided the cleaning is complete.
Electrical outlets, switches and appliances that were under water are not used until a licensed electrician has checked them. The cleanup crew can note which items were wet, but the electrical decision belongs to the electrician and the homeowner.
Days to weeks, depending on how much mud was present and how thick the slab and the wall are. The readings decide when the equipment comes off.
A concrete slab holds moisture for a long time, and the dry-down is slower than for a wood floor. The crew sets the equipment to dry the wall and the slab edge, and the readings are logged at each visit until the numbers are steady and low.
A garage that is closed too early traps moisture under any new floor covering, so the drying is judged by the numbers and not by how the surface looks.
The most common flash flood entry in a city home. Water runs down the driveway, pools at the garage door and spreads across the slab. The cleanup covers the garage, the wall between the garage and the house and any stored items on the floor.
Water comes through a window well, a door sill or a foundation crack and fills the lower level. The debris that enters with the water can block the sump and the floor drain, so both are cleared as part of the work.
Water that stands against the house can reach a crawl space or the lower part of a wall through a vent or a gap in the grading. The crawl space is pumped and cleaned, and the vents and the grading are noted for the homeowner to correct.
The creek corridors in and around Colorado Springs carry heavy rain quickly. A flash flood in the city often reaches the lowest street first, and the water then runs into the driveways and garages of the houses that sit lower than the road.
Fountain Creek runs south through the county, and the watershed district reports flood damage to property and infrastructure from the 2013 burn-scar runoff. Homes near the creek corridors are the most exposed to a repeat of that pattern.
The summer hailstorms of 2016 and 2018 showed how quickly storm water can build up in a city street. Hail clogs drain grates with debris, and a flood that follows a hailstorm can be worse than the rain alone would have caused.
Tell us what's happening and we'll tell you honestly whether it's a quick fix, and what stormwater and flash flood cleanup should cost.
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Mud, silt and debris carried into Colorado Springs and El Paso County buildings by runoff from a wildfire scar, and the cleanup that follows.
Removing water from a flooded basement, lifting the finished surfaces it reached and drying the walls and framing in Colorado Springs and El Paso County.
Air movement and dehumidification that dry the framing, subfloor, insulation and wall cavities of a Colorado Springs building after water has been removed.
Removing sewage that has backed up through a floor drain, toilet or basement fixture in Colorado Springs and El Paso County, and cleaning and disinfecting the space.
The 2013 fires left burned ground in the foothills and on the north-east plains, and that ground sheds water and sediment in heavy rain.
Water removed from a garage should not be pushed onto a neighbor's property or into a storm drain without thought, and the city rules on discharge apply. The crew uses a discharge point that does not return into the building.
A new crack in a slab or foundation wall should be checked by a structural professional. The cleanup crew records the crack, but it does not assess the structure.
Yes, if it still works and the power is on. A sump that is clogged with debris may not keep up, and the crew clears the pit as part of the cleanup.
Once the water and mud are removed and the power is safe to use. Drying that starts while mud is still present traps moisture, so the order of the work matters more than speed.