06/28/2024
While we understand the urgency that residents have to remove water from their home, you should use extreme caution when doing so. Removing all the water at once may cause serious structural damage to the house. Draining the water too fast could cause the collapse of the cellar walls, floors, and foundation. The water must be drained slowly to equalize pressure on both sides of the wall.
Residents are encouraged to follow these procedures when pumping basements to avoid serious damage, collapse, or injury to occupants:
• Begin pumping when floodwaters are no longer covering the ground outside.
• Pump out 1 foot of water. Mark the water level and wait overnight.
• Check the water level the next day. If the level went back up (covered your mark) it is still too early to drain your basement.
• Wait 24 hours and then pump the water down 1 foot again. Check the level the next day.
• When the water in the basement stops returning to your mark, pump out 2 to 3 feet and wait overnight.
• Repeat daily until all the water is out of the basement.
It is understandable that people are anxious to return home and begin the cleanup, but we urge caution, as the expense of rebuilding collapsed walls could be more than the cost of cleanup from the flood.
