What to Do After a Flood: The First 24 Hours

Step 1: Make the property safe before you re-enter

Electricity and floodwater are a lethal combination, and this is where every authority starts. NSW SES advises:

• ✓ If your electricity, gas or water supply has been damaged or disconnected, do not attempt to reconnect the service yourself.
• ✓ All electrical connections and appliances affected by water should be inspected by a licensed electrician before you use them again.
• ✓ Do not touch any electrical equipment if you are standing in water or if your hands are wet.
• ✓ Always assume fallen powerlines are live and stay at least 8 metres — about two car lengths — away.
• ✓ Gas appliances and gas bottles that have been exposed to floodwater should be inspected before use.

The Insurance Council of Australia gives the same warning: if water has entered the property, don't turn on your electricity until it has been inspected by an electrician — and only return to the property when emergency services have given the go-ahead.

Step 2: Treat all floodwater as contaminated

NSW Health warns that floodwater can be extremely polluted and contaminated with sewage and chemicals. Contact can lead to skin and stomach infections and other rare but serious conditions such as leptospirosis. During clean-up:

• ✓ Wear gloves, a face mask, covered shoes and full-length clothing
• ✓ Clean and cover any cuts or wounds — they're entry points for bacteria
• ✓ Follow any boil-water alerts, and don't drink from rainwater tanks that have been flooded
• ✓ Keep children and pets out of flood-affected areas until they're cleaned and dried

Step 3: Document everything for your insurer — before you clean

It's tempting to start hauling ruined carpet to the kerb immediately. Don't — not before you've documented it. The Insurance Council of Australia's guidance for flood-affected policyholders:

• ✓ Contact your insurance company as soon as possible to lodge a claim and get guidance on the process
• ✓ Take pictures or videos of damage to the property and possessions as evidence for your claim
• ✓ Keep samples of materials and fabrics to show your insurance assessor
• ✓ Make an itemised list of damaged goods, with brands, models and serial numbers where possible
• ✓ Don't throw away goods that could be salvaged or repaired, and get your insurer's approval before authorising repairs

In major events, the ICA can declare an Insurance Catastrophe, which escalates the industry response: claims from affected policyholders are prioritised and triaged so urgent help reaches the worst-affected first. The scale can be enormous — the February–March 2022 floods across south-east Queensland and northern NSW became Australia's costliest insured event, with losses of more than $6 billion across around 246,000 claims.

Step 4: Understand what kind of water you're dealing with

Professional restorers classify water damage under the ANSI/IICRC S500 Standard for Professional Water Damage Restoration into three categories — and the category changes what can be saved:

External flooding is generally treated as Category 3 — which is why porous materials it has soaked, and the clean-up approach overall, are handled very differently from a clean-water leak. Our guide to sewage backup health risks covers the Category 3 scenario in more detail.

Step 5: Dry fast — the mould clock is running

The US EPA advises drying water-damaged areas and items within 24–48 hours to prevent mould growth, and Victorian health guidance warns that high mould levels are likely if a house stays flooded for more than two days. Open doors and windows where conditions allow, but understand that soaked structures — wall cavities, subfloors, carpet underlay — usually can't be dried by airflow alone.

Professional water damage restoration uses commercial extraction, structural drying equipment and moisture monitoring to bring the building back to safe dryness, and follows the IICRC S500 standard. If mould has already appeared, see how fast mould grows after water damage.

Flooded in Sydney or NSW?

One Prime Solutions responds 24/7 across Greater Sydney and Regional NSW with certified water extraction, structural drying, decontamination and flood and fire restoration — and we work with your insurer's documentation requirements from the first visit.

Frequently asked questions