01:00 AM EDT on Sunday, July 2, 2006

BY JURA KONCIUS and ANNIE GROER
The Washington Post

The rains came. The gutters backed up. The drains clogged. So the basement flooded. Yuck. Now what?

In the Northeast, Washington D.C.,and other areas of the country recently, floods have taken neighborhoods that were thought to be out of the flood plain by surprise, leaving people with soaked belongings and sometimes worse. Floods can also be the result of a burst pipe, ruptured water main or some other that has nothing to do with the weather or where you live.

If you should ever find yourself with water where it shouldn't be, speed is of the essence in minimizing damage and saving possessions. We sought the counsel of experts, from home inspectors to Smithsonian conservators to public health specialists. Here is their collective wisdom.

Electrical risk: Before you enter a basement that has been flooded to several inches or more or above the outlet line, you need to turn off the power. If the circuit breaker box is out of reach in the basement, call an electrician.

Remove possessions from the flooded space as quickly as possible. Mold and mildew start to work their way in within hours. Rescue things in order of importance, financial or sentimental: family photos, tax records, artwork, computers, documents. Putting valuable or cherished papers in the freezer will stop mildew growth and deterioration until you can attend to them.

If you have less than a couple of inches of standing water, a wet vac usually can handle the job. For basements with deep water and no drains, you may need to call in a professional. Look in the Yellow Pages under Fire and Water Damage Restoration. Major companies include ServiceMaster (www.servicemaster.com) and Servpro (www.servpro.com).

As soon as possible, get air circulating. Turn on fans and a dehumidifier or two. Open doors, windows and closets. Keep the air conditioner running at a low temperature to pull additional moisture out of the room.

Deal with soaked flooring. Large rugs or wall-to-wall carpeting may have to be pulled up entirely; some can be wet vac-ed, then dried on a driveway or other outdoor area. Or get them cleaned as soon as possible to get rid of mold and odor. Wet padding should be discarded because it will start to rot and mildew and cannot be cleaned.

Vinyl tile, linoleum and other hard surfaces can be scrubbed with a solution of no more than one cup of chlorine bleach to one gallon of water (a ratio of 1 to 16). Never mix bleach with ammonia, as it can produce a toxic gas. Keep windows and doors open, and wear gloves and protective eyewear.

Examine indoor and outdoor basement drains for debris buildup. You may be able to unclog them with your hands (wear rubber gloves), a plunger or a plumber's snake. Also check for blocked downspouts and gutters.

Inspect damage to walls. Those made of concrete block or brick can be scrubbed with the bleach solution. Damp or wet drywall, baseboard molding and the insulation behind the wall are ideal breeding grounds for mold. You may have to remove the wet drywall and insulation up to the water line and discard it. Let the inside of the wall dry out before replacing the damaged materials.

If the water has snuffed out the gas water heater's pilot light, call a plumber or your gas utility to ask about relighting it or replacing submerged parts to avoid disaster. Depending on the damage, the entire heater may have to be replaced.

Separate what can be salvaged from what is now trash. Put the trash in plastic bags closed tightly. Put salvaged items somewhere safe to dry out. Do not stack dry boxes on top of or right next to wet ones, because the moisture will wick upward.

If there is a large amount of soggy trash, you (or friends with a van or truck) can haul it to a dump; or call or check out the Web site of your local jurisdiction to ask about bulk trash pickup. You can also call a bulk trash company.

How did the water get in? If you can't tell, call a roofer or a home inspector (one source is the American Society of Home Inspectors Web site at www.ashi.org).

Take these precautions now for safety later

Here's a list of precautions to take so you'll have more than Lady Luck on your side as the rain continues.

Determine whether your area is flood-prone. If you're new to the street, ask neighbors or check your online community forum. Or contact your local public works department.

The best defense against water intrusion is correct grading of the land outside: Soil should slope down and away from the house to keep water flowing away from the foundation.

Make sure your gutters are cleaned regularly, especially if you can't remember the last time they were checked. Consider downspout extensions to move water out and away from the house as well.

Give the basement a general decluttering before the next rains. By way of encouragement, remember: Unwanted papers, clothing, old furniture and books weigh a lot less when they're dry than after they're sopping wet.

If you know your basement is flood-prone, consider getting a sump pump. Pumps are installed in a well in the lowest part of the basement. When ground water levels rise, the machine kicks in to redirect water away before it gets above floor level. The installation is expensive, but may be worth it if your basement is part of your living space.

If you already have a sump pump, make sure it still works. Test it by lifting the float valve to see if the pump is activated. Backup battery-powered systems are available if electricity goes out. If you don't have a built-in sump pump, you can buy or rent a version that works like a bilge pump in a boat. You'll need to be either fast or patient if flooding is widespread though.

If you're unsure about the overall condition of your roofing materials, or have any evidence of water damage on your walls, get a roofer to inspect things such as shingles, flashing, gutters and downspouts.

Check inside for telltale moisture from all sources, including plumbing leaks and loose fireplace bricks. Signs include discolored ceilings and walls, and buckling baseboards, floorboards or tiles.

If you have a drain outside the basement door, check it regularly -- even weekly during the rainy season. A piece of screening placed over the drain provides an extra filter.

Consider buying a wet vac now, instead of having to rent one in an emergency. The Shop Vac brand is sold at Lowe's, where models range from a 3.5-gallon model for $59.94 for small jobs to a contractor-grade 20-gallon model for $149.

Never leave things that you value sitting directly on a basement floor. Use concrete blocks, steel shelving or bricks to raise storage at least 18 inches off the floor.

Large plastic containers with tight-fitting lids are far better for storage than cardboard boxes, which offer little protection from moisture and are prone to mildew.

Window wells are meant to keep water from seeping into your house, but if they don't drain freely they do more harm than good, trapping water next to the foundation. Inexpensive domed plastic covers can help keep water out. For serious drainage problems, dig the well deeper and add a foot of gravel to divert water more effectively.

Be prepared to form a family bucket brigade; stock two pails for every household member who's able to carry one.