Water is in the house and it is not stopping. We take calls 24/7, and while you wait you can shut off the main water valve if the leak is inside, lift valuables and electronics off the floor, and keep people and pets out of the water. If the water is near outlets, a breaker panel or a gas appliance, leave and call the utility or 911 before you call us.
Flood damage restoration in Southlake, TX is the pump-out, cleaning and drying of a home after outside water has come in: storm runoff, a creek or drainage overflow, groundwater, or heavy rain that overwhelms the lot. This page covers whole-house flooding, lower levels and crawl spaces, and what to do when the water carries sewage.
Raw sewage, gurgling drains or backup from a floor drain?
If a toilet is bubbling, a floor drain is pushing up dark water, or the lower-level shower is filling on its own, you are dealing with sewage backup. That is a sewage backup cleanup job, and it is handled differently from clean flood water.
Keep out of the water, shut off power to that area only if you can reach the panel on dry ground, and call. Details are in the sewage backup section below.
Floodwater in the house right now: what to do first
Start with safety. If standing water touches outlets, appliances, the breaker panel or a furnace, treat the whole area as electrified. Leave the house and call the electric utility or 911 before anything else. Do not wade through water to flip a breaker.
If the area is safe, stop the source where you can: shut off the main water valve for a plumbing failure, close the garage door against more runoff, and lift rugs, shoes and papers out of the wet. Take photos or video before moving anything, because your insurer will want them.
Then call. We bring pumps, extraction units, moisture meters, thermal imaging cameras, air movers and LGR dehumidifiers, and we begin with extraction so drying can start as soon as the standing water is gone.
Storm, creek and groundwater flooding
Water arrives in a few ways. Storm runoff pours over a threshold or through a garage door. A creek or drainage channel rises and spreads across a yard. Groundwater pushes up through a slab, a wall crack or a crawl space vent after heavy rain.
Outside water is rarely clean. It crosses streets, lawns and yards before it reaches your floor, so it is treated as contaminated. The table below shows how water categories change the work.
| Category | Typical source | What it means for the job |
|---|---|---|
| Category 1 | Supply line break, clean tap water | Fast extraction, drying, most materials can be dried in place |
| Category 2 | Washer overflow, dishwasher discharge, rain that has touched the ground | Extraction, cleaning and antimicrobial treatment, carpet pad usually removed |
| Category 3 | Sewage, creek or storm water, standing water that sat | Protective gear, containment, removal of porous materials, disinfecting |
Water that sits becomes more contaminated the longer it stays. A Category 1 leak that goes untreated can slip toward Category 2 and 3, which is one more reason to call early.
Basement flooding cleanup
Let us be honest: many Southlake homes do not have a basement. This section covers any lower level, whether that is a finished basement, a walkout, a lower floor with a sunken room, or a crawl space under the main floor.
In a finished lower level, water soaks carpet, pad, drywall, baseboards and anything stored on the floor. We pump the standing water, remove what cannot be dried, such as soaked carpet pad and the bottom of the drywall, and set drying equipment to pull moisture out of the framing and slab. Thermal imaging cameras and moisture meters show where water has wicked behind walls.
Sump pumps can fail during a storm, and window wells can overflow. If the water is deep, do not walk in with the power on. Call the utility or 911 about electrical risk first, then call us.
Cleanup after basement flooding gets the house dry and sanitized. It does not stop the next flood, which is a separate job for a foundation or waterproofing contractor.
Crawl space water
Crawl space water is easy to miss because nobody goes down there. Look for a wet smell, sagging floor insulation, damp skirting or a floor that feels spongy above the space. If you can see standing water, stay out unless you know the power is off to that area.
We remove the water, assess the insulation and vapor barrier, and dry the joists and subfloor from below and above. Wet insulation that has dropped against the ground is usually replaced. Floor coverings above may need drying too, which is covered in our water mitigation work.
Sewage backup cleanup
Safety comes first. Stay out of the water. Do not touch it, do not walk through it barefoot, and do not try to mop it up. Keep children and pets away. If the backup is near electrical equipment, leave and call the utility or 911 before you call us.
Sewage is Category 3 water. Our crews wear protective gear such as gloves, boots, coveralls, face protection and respirators, and they set up containment barriers with plastic sheeting so contamination stays in the affected area. Air scrubbers with HEPA filters run during the work.
Porous materials the sewage reached, such as carpet, pad, drywall and insulation, are usually removed and bagged. Hard surfaces are cleaned and disinfected. The structure is then dried and moisture readings are verified.
The backup may be a clog in your own line or a problem in the city main. If you are not sure, call Southlake Public Works at (817) 748-8082 for after-hours water or sewer emergencies. Call us at (817) 623-9267 for the cleanup.
Flood zones, Grapevine Lake and what the maps tell you
Grapevine Lake sits just north of Southlake as a federal reservoir run by the US Army Corps of Engineers. Construction began in January 1948 and finished in June 1952, and it was authorized for flood control and navigation as part of a coordinated floodway system along the Trinity River. In June 2015, flooding closed lake parks and boat ramps, and Tarrant County received a disaster declaration on June 3, 2015.
That is regional context, not a statement about your street. A reservoir does not keep storm water from pooling in a yard or a creek from rising in a drainage channel. To see your own risk, check the city's flood zone map, which shows the 100-year and 500-year zones, and the FEMA Flood Map Service Center for your address.
The city notes that its crews cannot use public resources to clean private property, so cleanup of the inside of the house is the owner's job. Homeowners and HOAs maintain their own property drainage.
Insurance and flood damage
Standard homeowner policies do not cover floods. Flood damage generally needs a separate flood insurance policy. A burst pipe or broken washer hose, by contrast, is usually sudden and accidental and is often covered.
Check your own policy, and ask your insurer what applies. Take photos or video before cleanup, keep damaged items until the adjuster has seen them, make temporary repairs to limit more damage, and keep receipts. We do not promise approval of any claim.
What changes the cost of flood restoration
Every flood job is different. These are the factors that move the number.
| Cost factor | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Water category (1, 2 or 3) | Category 3 needs protective gear, containment and removal of more material |
| Affected area | More floor and wall area means more extraction, removal and drying |
| Materials involved | Carpet and pad, drywall, hardwood and insulation each respond differently |
| Drying days and equipment | More air movers and LGR dehumidifiers running longer cost more |
| Rebuild scope | Cleanup and drying come first, rebuilding is a separate scope |
We explain scope and price before work starts. Want your real number? Call (817) 623-9267. After the cleanup, rebuilding is handled under water damage repair, and if musty areas or spots show up later, see mold remediation.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Dispatch is open 24/7, including nights and weekends, because floodwater does not wait for morning. Same-day response is offered when crews are available, and we do not promise an arrival time because roads and call volume change during storms.
Until a crew arrives, keep people and pets out of the water, stay away from outlets and call your electric utility or 911 if water has reached the panel or gas appliances. Our emergency water extraction page covers what the pumping stage involves.
No. Restoration removes the water, dries the structure and cleans what was affected. It does not stop water from coming back. For that, talk to a foundation or waterproofing contractor.
Home policies generally do not cover floods, so flood damage needs a separate flood policy. Sudden and accidental plumbing failures are treated differently. Read your policy and ask your insurer.
Check the city's flood zone map, which shows the 100-year and 500-year zones, and the FEMA Flood Map Service Center for your address. Do not assume your lot is clear because the street looks dry.
That depends on the water and the damage. With sewage or contaminated water, keep out of the affected area. Ask us when you call, and follow any guidance from the utility.
Shut off the main water valve if the source is inside, lift valuables, and take photos. If power is at risk, leave and call the utility or 911 first. Then call (817) 623-9267.
Contact Southlake Public Works. After hours, call (817) 748-8082. During business hours, Southlake Water Utilities customer service is at (817) 748-8051.
It depends on the water category, how much was affected and the materials. We read moisture levels each visit and stop equipment only when readings return to normal. Learn how this works under emergency water removal.
Water in the house? Dispatch answers around the clock.
☎ Call (817) 623-9267