Gwinnett & DeKalb County · 24/7
Flood Damage Restoration & Cleanup in Gwinnett County, GA
Storm water, flash flooding and rising groundwater bring dirt, bacteria and whatever was on the ground outside in with them. Muck-out, disinfection, structural drying and repair — handled as the contaminated-water job it is, not as a big spill.
“Flood” means something very specific to your insurer
This is the part that catches people out, and it is worth understanding before you make the call to your carrier. In insurance language a flood is not simply “a lot of water.”
The National Flood Insurance Program defines a flood as “two or more properties or acres of normally dry land that are partially or completely submerged by water” from overflowing waters, unusual surface water runoff, mudflow, or land collapse along a body of water. FEMA / NFIP
Two consequences follow from that wording, and they decide who pays:
Usually the homeowners policy
- Rain entering through a roof the storm just damaged
- A burst pipe, a failed water heater, an appliance line
- Water from firefighting
- A sewer backup, if you carry the backup endorsement
Usually needs separate flood cover
- Water that rose off the ground and came in at floor level
- Creek or storm-drain overflow after heavy rain
- Surface runoff across the yard and under the door
- Mudflow
- Groundwater pushing up through a slab or basement floor
We are not your insurer and this is general information, not policy advice — wording differs between carriers and endorsements change things. But knowing which conversation you are having saves days, and we document the job the same way either way.
Flood water is not just water
Clean water from a supply line starts safe and turns dirty over a day or two. Flood water arrives already contaminated, which is why the method is different from the first hour.
Silt and sediment
Red Georgia clay comes in suspended and settles into carpet, subfloor seams and wall cavities as the water drops.
Sewage
Heavy rain overwhelms drains and backs sanitary lines up into the same water that is already in the building.
Yard and road chemicals
Fertiliser, weedkiller, fuel and oil wash off driveways and lawns and travel with the water.
Bacteria and mould spores
Warm, dirty standing water is an incubator, and a Georgia summer is the right temperature for it.
That makes it Category 3 from the start. Porous material that flood water touched is removed rather than dried, and the area is worked under containment — the same standard we apply to sewage cleanup. The categories themselves are explained on the water damage restoration page.
Why Gwinnett floods the way it does
Clay does not absorb
Red Georgia clay sheds water rather than taking it in. A downpour that would soak into sandy soil runs across the surface here instead, which is why yards that have never flooded suddenly do after an unusually heavy hour of rain.
Flash flooding, not river flooding
Most of what we are called to is not a river leaving its banks over days. It is an intense storm overwhelming a storm drain or a creek in under an hour — fast in, and often most of the way back out before anyone can respond.
Basements collect it
The basement homes common around Snellville and Grayson give flood water somewhere to sit at the lowest point of the building, against foundation walls, out of sight.
Crawlspaces hide it
On the slab-and-crawlspace ranch homes around Lilburn, water gets under the floor and stays. The living space looks fine while the joists and insulation above the crawlspace stay wet for weeks.
How a flood cleanup runs
Contaminated water changes the order of operations. Removal comes before drying, and disinfection sits between them.
- 1
Make it safe first
Power to affected circuits, structural check, and confirmation of what the water is before anyone walks in it. Gas appliances that were submerged stay off until they are checked.
- 2
Muck-out
Water, then the mud and debris it left behind. Silt is shovelled and scraped, not vacuumed — extraction alone leaves a layer of clay behind that would trap moisture under everything.
- 3
Controlled demolition
Contaminated porous material out: carpet and pad, wet insulation, drywall cut to a clean line above the water mark, cabinetry that has wicked. Inventoried as it goes for the claim.
- 4
Clean and disinfect
Every remaining surface washed and treated. This is the step that separates a flood job from a drying job, and skipping it is why some flooded houses keep smelling months later.
- 5
Dry and verify
Air movers and dehumidifiers to a plan, readings logged daily against a dry standard, and a final check before anything is rebuilt.
Do not pump a flooded basement out all at once
The most expensive mistake a homeowner can make with a rented pump, and almost nobody warns about it.
When the ground outside is saturated, the water table can be sitting level with the water inside your basement. Those two pressures are holding each other in balance. Empty the inside quickly and the saturated ground outside is suddenly pushing against a wall with nothing pushing back — that is what buckles a foundation wall or floats a slab.
The safe approach is to draw the level down gradually and watch it. If it refills as fast as you pump, the ground is still full and the water needs somewhere else to go first. Wait, and let the ground drain.
The other reason to pause: what is in that water. Pumping a basement without knowing whether the sewer backed up into it puts contaminated water across the yard and through the house on your boots.
What flooding damages that a clean-water leak would not
HVAC and ductwork
Ducts under a floor or in a crawlspace fill with dirty water and hold silt. Running the system afterwards distributes whatever is in them through the whole house.
Insulation
Fibreglass and cellulose that flood water reached are removed, not dried. They hold contaminants no dehumidifier can pull out.
Electrical below the line
Submerged outlets, switches and panels are replaced rather than dried out, and that is an electrician’s call, not ours.
Appliances and water heaters
Anything with a submerged motor, control board or gas valve needs assessing before it is switched back on.
Contents on the floor
Soft furnishings, mattresses, particleboard furniture and paper that sat in flood water rarely come back. Contents restoration covers what can.
The yard and the crawlspace
Standing water under the house outlasts the water in it, and is the most common reason a “finished” flood job turns into a mould call later.
Where we do this work
Nine cities across Gwinnett and DeKalb County, dispatched from Lilburn.
Questions about flood damage
Does my homeowners policy cover this?
If the water came in from above or from a failed system inside the building, usually yes. If it rose off the ground and came in at floor level, usually not — that is what separate flood cover is for. Check your declarations page for a flood endorsement or an NFIP policy, and call your carrier before anything is thrown out.
Should I wait for the adjuster before starting cleanup?
No, and most policies require the opposite — you are expected to prevent further damage. Photograph everything first, wide and close, then let the work start. We document what is removed as it goes, which is what the adjuster needs.
Can I keep furniture that was in flood water?
Solid wood and metal, usually, after cleaning. Upholstered furniture, mattresses and anything made of particleboard or MDF that sat in it, usually not — the contamination is inside the material, not on it.
Do I need a new HVAC system?
Not necessarily the system, but ductwork that filled with flood water usually has to be cleaned or replaced, and a submerged furnace or air handler needs assessing before it runs again. Turning the system on to “help dry the house” before that check is a common and costly mistake.
The water is gone on its own. Is there still a problem?
Almost always. Flash flooding here often drains away in hours, but silt is left in the carpet and subfloor, water is still in the wall cavity and the crawlspace, and the contamination does not leave with the water. A moisture survey settles it in one visit.
How do you get rid of the smell?
By removing what is causing it rather than covering it. The smell after a flood is contaminated porous material and wet organic matter — take those out, disinfect the surfaces that remain, dry the structure properly, and the smell goes with them. Anything that only fragrances the air is hiding an unfinished job.
Flooded, or not sure how bad it is?
Tell us where the water came from and how long it has been there. That is usually enough for us to say on the phone whether this needs a crew tonight.