Water Extraction Guides · Causes & Prevention

How Storm Surge Flooding Differs from Rain Flooding

Rain flooding and storm surge flooding both put water in a home, but they arrive differently, behave differently, and need a different understanding from the homeowner. Rain flooding comes from above, falling on the home and the ground around it. Storm surge flooding comes from the water itself, pushed toward the shore and up waterways by strong winds, rising around a home from the outside in. Knowing the difference helps a homeowner understand what happened and what to expect next.

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This guide gives a general explainer of storm surge versus rain flooding, for homes across Louisiana, from Ponchatoula to Zachary. No claim is made here about any specific place. For the service itself, the flood water extraction page gives a general outline.

Rain flooding: water from above

Rain flooding starts with water falling on the home and the ground around it. Heavy rain falls faster than the ground and the drains can carry it away, and water gathers in low spots, rises against door thresholds, and enters through gaps at the base of walls, through low windows, and under doors. Rain can also enter through a roof leak, travelling down inside walls before it shows on the floor below.

Rain flooding is usually a matter of volume over time. A short, sharp downpour can flood a low doorway, and a long, steady rain can saturate the ground until the water has nowhere to go. The water is rain water that has travelled across soil and surfaces on its way in, and it carries soil and debris with it.

Rain flooding starts with water falling on the home and the ground around it, and it is a matter of volume over time. A short, sharp downpour can flood a low doorway, and a long, steady rain can saturate the ground until the water has nowhere to go. The water enters through low doorways, gaps at the base of walls, low windows, and roof leaks, and it spreads from the entry point across the floor.

Storm surge: water pushed in from outside

Storm surge flooding starts with water pushed toward the shore and up waterways by strong winds. The water level rises around homes near the coast and near rivers and bayous, and the water enters at the lowest points first, rising around the home from the outside in. Unlike rain, which falls on the home, surge water arrives as a rising level, and it can rise quickly once it finds a way in.

Surge water is not clean water. It carries soil, debris, and contaminants from the waterways and the ground it has crossed, and it should not be waded through or handled without care. If water is rising around your home, leave the area if you can do so safely, and do not try to hold the water back or to move belongings through it.

How Storm Surge Flooding Differs from Rain Flooding — Louisiana water guide

How the two differ inside the home

Inside the home, the two kinds of flooding behave differently. Rain flooding often enters at a low doorway or through a roof leak, and the water spreads from that entry point across the floor. Surge flooding enters at the lowest points of the home, and the water level rises evenly, reaching every room on the ground floor as it climbs. The depth of surge water can be greater, and it can reach higher on the walls, because the water is rising rather than running in.

The water itself differs too. Rain water is fresh water that has picked up soil and debris on its way in. Surge water has travelled further and carries more with it, and it is handled with professional-only care throughout. Both are treated as contaminated water, and neither should be handled without care.

Inside the home, the two kinds of flooding behave differently. Rain flooding often enters at a low doorway or through a roof leak, and the water spreads from that entry point. Surge flooding enters at the lowest points, and the water level rises evenly, reaching every room on the ground floor as it climbs. The depth of surge water can be greater, because the water is rising rather than running in.

The response is the same: safety first

Whatever the source, the first steps are the same. Never enter a flooded building, never wade through flood water, and never handle electrics in standing water. Get children and pets clear, and call a professional from a dry place. The number is (877) 624-0105, and availability is confirmed on the call. Describe what happened, where the water is, how deep it is, and how far it has spread.

Do not try to start the extraction yourself. Flood water needs professional-only handling, because it carries contaminants and hides hazards, and the equipment used for it is operated by someone who knows how to use it safely. Your job is to stay safe, give clear information, and keep the affected area clear.

What extraction covers in both cases

When the technician arrives, the first job is a careful look at the home, judging the depth and spread of the water, mapping the rooms affected, and noting the entry points. Extraction then takes out the standing and trapped water, working room by room from the worst affected, and the drying stage that follows deals with dampness left in materials. Moisture readings through drying decide when the job is finished.

In the weeks after the job, watch the affected area for new damp spots or a musty smell, and call if anything appears. The entry points found during the visit are worth noting, because they show where water can get in again.

Whatever the source, the first steps are the same: never enter a flooded building, never wade through flood water, and never handle electrics in standing water. Get children and pets clear, and call a professional from a dry place. The response does not depend on the kind of flooding; safety comes first in both cases.

Key Takeaways

Rain flooding starts with water falling on the home and the ground around it.
Storm surge flooding starts with water pushed toward the shore and up waterways by strong winds.
Inside the home, the two kinds of flooding behave differently.
Whatever the source, the first steps are the same.
When the technician arrives, the first job is a careful look at the home, judging the depth and spread of the water, mapping the rooms affected, and noting the entry points.

Questions About How Storm Surge Flooding Differs from Rain Flooding

What is the difference between rain flooding and storm surge?

Rain flooding comes from above, falling on the home and the ground around it, and entering through low doorways, gaps, and roof leaks. Storm surge is water pushed toward the shore and up waterways by strong winds, rising around a home from the outside in.

Is surge water different from rain water?

Yes. Surge water has travelled further and carries more soil, debris, and contaminants with it. Both are treated as contaminated water, and neither should be waded through or handled without care.

What should I do if water is rising around my home?

Leave the area if you can do so safely, and do not try to hold the water back or to move belongings through it. Call a professional from a dry place once you are safe. Safety comes before property, every time.

Does extraction cover both kinds of flooding?

Yes. Extraction takes out the standing and trapped water in both cases, working room by room, and the drying stage that follows deals with dampness left in materials. Moisture readings decide when the job is finished.

Your Next Step

If this guide matches what you found at home, the next step is a visit — not a guess. Call and describe what you found, and the visit is arranged from what you describe. The Flood Water Extraction page explains what that service covers, and the water removal page explains what that service covers when water has spread to more than one room.

Do not enter flooded rooms while you wait, and if water is leaking, turn off the shut-off valve for that fixture where you can reach it safely from dry ground.

Keep the guides on this site bookmarked: the first guide, the signs guide, and the preparation guide cover the checks worth repeating — after moving in, and after bringing used fixtures home.

Water extraction help is available across Louisiana. See water extraction in Dry Prong, LA for one local example, or find your town on the service areas page.