Water Extraction Guides · Emergency Response & Drying

What to Do First When Your House Floods in Louisiana

A flooded house is one of the most frightening things a homeowner can face, and the first minutes are the ones that matter most. The instinct is to rush in and start saving things, but the safest first steps are slower than that: stay out of the water, keep away from electrics, and call for help before any cleanup begins. Knowing those steps in advance is what turns panic into a plan.

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This guide covers the safety-first steps in plain terms, then the call that follows. The emergency water extraction service page covers the service, and homes in Lake Charles and Monroe face the same first minutes after a flood as homes anywhere else in the state.

Stay out of the water

The first step when your house floods is to stay out of the water. Floodwater is not safe water: it can carry sewage, chemicals, fuel, and debris, and it should be treated as Category 3 black water. Do not walk through it, do not touch it with bare hands, and do not try to clean it yourself. Keep children and pets out of the flooded rooms, and do not enter a flooded building at all if the water is deep or still rising.

Do not enter a room where the ceiling looks soft or sagging, or where the structure looks damaged. A flooded house can hide structural damage that is not visible from the doorway, and a saturated ceiling or wall can be weaker than it looks. If the home looks unstable, stay out entirely and wait for a professional assessment.

If you are outside the house when the flooding starts, do not go back in to save belongings. A home can be dried and repaired; a person cannot be replaced, and no possession is worth an injury. Wait until the space has been assessed before entering.

Do not handle electrics in standing water

The second step is to stay away from electrics. Do not handle any electrical item in or near standing water, do not switch anything on to see whether it still works, and do not touch outlets, switches, or appliances that have been in water. Electrical hazards in floodwater are not always visible, and a floor that looks safe can hide a live risk.

If you can reach the main power shutoff from a dry place and you are certain it is safe to do so, that is one option, but if there is any doubt, leave the power alone. Never wade into standing water to reach a shutoff, and never feel for a switch in the dark. If you are unsure, leave the power as it is and call a professional.

The same rule applies to gas appliances. Do not light anything, do not turn on gas appliances that have been in water, and if you smell gas, leave the property and call for help from outside. Safety comes before the house, every time.

What to Do First When Your House Floods in Louisiana — Louisiana water guide

Call for help before cleanup begins

The third step is to call for help, and to do it before any cleanup begins. Describe what you see: where the water is, how deep it looks, whether it is still entering, and whether anyone is in the property. That description helps the person on the phone decide the next step, and it is easier to give clearly in the moment than to reconstruct later.

Take photos from a safe place if you can, and note the time you found the water. Photos taken before anything is moved are the most useful of all, and they are useful if questions about the loss come up later. Do not move wet items until you have been told to, and do not throw anything away until it has been seen.

Our flood water extraction page describes the floodwater stage in general terms. The same principles apply in the first minutes: safety first, then the call, then assessment, and no cleanup before the space has been judged safe.

Neighbours and shared walls deserve attention when a house floods, because water that affects one home can affect the home beside it as well. If the water came from a shared pipe, a shared wall, or a neighbouring property, tell the neighbour or the building manager as well as calling for help yourself, since the source may be outside your own home and the water may still be entering. A report that covers the shared source as well as your own home gives everyone the full picture, and it helps the water be stopped at its source rather than only cleaned up where it arrived.

What not to do in the first hour

Do not try to extract floodwater yourself, and do not use a household vacuum on standing water. Do not drink floodwater, do not use it to wash, and do not let children or pets play in it. Do not eat food that has been in floodwater, and do not use floodwater to clean anything. Floodwater is not safe water, and contact with it should be avoided.

Do not drive through flooded roads to reach your home, and do not walk through floodwater outside either. Floodwater outside the home can hide debris, open drains, and live electrical hazards, and moving water can be far stronger than it looks. Wait until the water has gone down and the area has been judged safe.

Homes in Alexandria and Houma face the same first-hour questions, and the same rules apply. Availability is confirmed on the call. Call (877) 624-0105 to talk through what you found.

After the first steps: what comes next

After the safety steps and the call, the next stage is assessment: what kind of water is present, how far it spread, what it touched, and whether it has reached walls, floors, and adjoining rooms. That assessment shapes everything that follows, including extraction, drying, and the decisions about what can be kept and what should be handled as part of the professional cleanup.

Keep a record of the event: the date, the time you found the water, photos of the affected areas, and notes about the source if you know it. That record helps a professional judge the space and is useful if questions about the loss come up later. Do not put damp items back into a space that is still drying, and do not assume a room is dry because it feels dry to the touch.

Finally, remember that the first minutes are about people, not property. Stay safe, keep everyone out of the water, and call for help. The house can wait; the people in it cannot.

Keep a record of the flood as well as the water itself: the date, the time you found the water, photos of the affected areas, and notes about the source if you know it. That record helps a professional judge the space and is useful if questions about the loss come up later. A flood that is documented carefully, with photos taken before anything is moved, is a flood whose aftermath is far easier to understand.

Key Takeaways

The first step when your house floods is to stay out of the water.
The second step is to stay away from electrics.
The third step is to call for help, and to do it before any cleanup begins.
Do not try to extract floodwater yourself, and do not use a household vacuum on standing water.
After the safety steps and the call, the next stage is assessment: what kind of water is present, how far it spread, what it touched, and whether it has reached walls, floors, and adjoining rooms.

Questions About What to Do First When Your House Floods in Louisiana

What is the first thing to do when my house floods?

Stay out of the water. Floodwater is not safe water and should be treated as Category 3 black water, so do not walk through it, do not touch it, and do not try to clean it yourself. Keep children and pets out of the flooded rooms, stay away from electrics near standing water, and call for help before any cleanup begins.

Should I turn off the power if my house floods?

Only if you can reach the main power shutoff from a dry place and you are certain it is safe to do so. Never wade into standing water to reach a shutoff, and never feel for a switch in the dark. If there is any doubt, leave the power alone and call a professional. Electrical hazards in floodwater are not always visible.

Can I go back into my house to save belongings?

No, not until the space has been assessed. A flooded house can hide structural damage and electrical hazards that are not visible from the doorway, and a saturated ceiling or wall can be weaker than it looks. Wait until a professional has judged the space safe before entering, and do not go back in for belongings.

What should I tell the person I call for help?

Describe where the water is, how deep it looks, whether it is still entering, and whether anyone is in the property. Take photos from a safe place if you can, and note the time you found the water. The more clearly you can describe what you see, the better the next step can be planned.

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 Emergency 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 Spearsville, LA for one local example, or find your town on the service areas page.