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Water damage · Emergency service

Flood damage cleanup in California

Flood cleanup treats outside floodwater as contaminated: it removes water and mud, cuts out wet drywall and insulation above the waterline, sanitizes, and dries the structure. Floodwater carries sewage and chemicals, so porous materials it touched are usually discarded.

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Brown floodwater covering a yard and road after heavy rain

Flood damage cleanup in California: local conditions

Partner coverage for water damage in California includes 1,846 ZIP codes, with local pages for Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, Sacramento, Fresno, San Francisco, Oakland, Long Beach, Pasadena, Bakersfield, Stockton, Anaheim, San Bernardino, Riverside, Irvine, Santa Barbara, Glendale, Berkeley, Modesto, Torrance, Santa Ana, Chula Vista, Oceanside, Oxnard, Moreno Valley, Santa Rosa, Garden Grove, Corona, Hayward, Escondido, Santa Clara, Fontana, Huntington Beach, Santa Clarita, Palmdale, Visalia, Fremont, Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga, Lancaster, Sunnyvale, Thousand Oaks, Burbank, Inglewood, Santa Monica, Whittier, Orange, Fullerton, San Luis Obispo, Concord, Santa Cruz, Carlsbad, Newport Beach, Chico, Temecula, Palo Alto, Mountain View, San Mateo, Clovis, Simi Valley. Call with your ZIP to confirm a company serves your address.

Winter storms can bring days of heavy rain, flooding homes and causing mudslides, especially near burn scars.

In Los Angeles: Winter storms bring days of heavy rain, flooding streets and causing mudslides on hillsides and burn scars. In San Diego: Chollas Creek and other urban channels overflowed during the January 2024 storm, flooding nearby homes in minutes. In San Jose: Creeks that run through the city rise quickly during atmospheric river storms, as in February 2017. In Sacramento: The Sacramento and American rivers flood during prolonged winter storms, and many neighborhoods, including Natomas, sit in protected floodplains behind levees.

Slab and raised-foundation homes are both common, with many older homes on raised foundations with crawlspaces, especially in the Bay Area and Los Angeles.

California requires contractors on jobs of $500 or more (labor and materials) to be licensed by the Contractors State License Board (CSLB). Check the license on the CSLB website.

What you can expect

  • One call connects you with an independent restoration company that serves your ZIP code.
  • Fast call-back during business hours
  • Serving California
  • Photo and moisture documentation for insurance

Flood damage cleanup at a glance

Category
Water damage
Emergency service
Yes, call for fastest response
Typical first step
Make safe
Area
California

Other risks in California

Wildfire, smoke and soot

Wildfires destroy homes and send smoke and ash into many more, requiring smoke and soot cleanup.

Earthquakes

Earthquakes can break supply lines and topple unstrapped water heaters, causing sudden water damage.

Signs you need flood damage cleanup

  • Water entered from outside, at doors or through the slab
  • A visible waterline on walls
  • Mud or debris left on floors

How the work is done

Make safe, then Remove water and debris, then Flood cuts and sanitizing, then Dry and verify. See the full flood damage cleanup process.

What affects the cost

Prices depend on the job, so restoration companies in California quote after an assessment. The main drivers are how much area is affected, how long it stayed wet, and what has to be removed or rebuilt. See the full list of flood damage cleanup cost factors.

Flood damage cleanup questions

How do I clean wildfire smoke and ash from a California home?

Avoid stirring up ash; use HEPA vacuums rather than sweeping, change HVAC filters, and have soot and odor professionally cleaned if smoke entered the home.

How do I verify a California contractor?

Search the Contractors State License Board (CSLB) license lookup for license status, bonds and workers' comp.

Is flood damage covered by homeowners insurance?

Usually not. Rising water from outside is typically covered only by a flood policy (NFIP or private). Water from a burst pipe is a different claim under your homeowners policy.

Can drywall that got flood water be dried?

Generally no. Floodwater is contaminated, so the IICRC S500 standard calls for removing porous materials it soaked, including drywall and insulation, above the waterline.

Cities in California

Other services in California

Related pages

More about water and storm damage in California, or see flood damage cleanup nationwide.

Related services

Brown floodwater covering a yard and road after heavy rain

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Sewage backup cleanup

Sewage cleanup treats the water as Category 3 (grossly contaminated): crews in protective gear remove it, discard porous materials it touched, clean and disinfect hard surfaces, and dry the structure.

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Mold remediation

Mold remediation removes mold growth under containment so spores don't spread, cleans or discards affected materials, and corrects the moisture problem that let it grow.

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Guides

Water, mold or fire damage? Get the right crew on it.

One call connects you with an independent restoration company that serves your ZIP code. Fast call-back during business hours.

(866) 948-3156
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