Storm and flood cleanup in Orlando

The first two days

1. Safety first. Don't go into a flooded house until the power is off at the panel or the utility has cut it. Watch for snakes and fire ants in debris.
2. Photograph everything before moving it. The water line on walls, every room, damaged contents, the outside of the house.
3. Call your insurers. Flood water goes to your flood policy if you have one (NFIP or private). Wind, roof and fallen-tree damage goes to your homeowners policy.
4. Get water and wet material out. The EPA says to dry wet materials within 24 to 48 hours to prevent mold. After a big storm, crews are booked, so start with what you can safely move.

What flood water ruins

Water that came in from outside, over the ground, carries sewage, chemicals and soil. Fixr prices it at the black water rate ($7 to $7.50 per square foot) against $3.75 to $4.25 for clean water from a pipe. In practice that means:

• Carpet and pad that sat in flood water: out.
• Drywall and insulation: cut out at least a foot or two above the water line so the wall can dry and be cleaned.
• Upholstered furniture and mattresses: usually out.
• Studs, block walls and the slab: cleaned and dried, then checked with a moisture meter before anything is closed up.

Where it flooded in Ian

Ian's flooding in Central Florida came mostly from rivers, creeks and lakes overflowing, not the coast. The ZIP with the most Ian flood claims was 34744 (Kissimmee east), with 154. Of all paid flood claims here with a known flood zone, 36% were for homes outside the high-risk zones, which is why "we're not in a flood zone" is not a reason to skip flood insurance.

Federal flood claims from Hurricane Ian, by ZIP (top 14)

Insurance, and the contract you sign

Standard homeowners policies exclude flood. Federal flood policies cover the building and, if you bought it, contents, with limits. Mold that follows a flood is handled under the flood policy's terms, and it matters how quickly you dried the house out, so keep your receipts and photos.

After every hurricane, crews from out of the area knock on doors. Florida law gives you until midnight of the third business day to cancel a home solicitation sale made at your home, in writing. For policies issued on or after January 1, 2023, you can't sign your insurance benefits over to a contractor at all. For mold work over 10 square feet, ask for the Florida mold remediator license and check it on myfloridalicense.com. Insurance and mold in Florida.