Storm and flood cleanup in Miami-Dade

After a storm the county floods in two ways: rain that comes in through a roof or window, and water that comes up from the ground, canals, or the bay. They are cleaned differently, and the second kind is category-3 water no matter how clear it looks.

Every neighborhood calls at once after a storm. Contractors who cover this triage by severity; calling early, with a clear description, gets you in the queue.

Rain damage from above

Water through a damaged roof, blown-in windows, or a failed flat-roof seam is clean-to-gray water that has soaked ceilings, insulation, and walls from the top down. The roof has to be tarped first (a roofing contractor's job) or the drying is pointless. Then ceilings that are sagging are opened, wet insulation comes out, and drying proceeds as for any interior leak.

Flood and surge from below

Canal, street, and bay water carries sewage, fuel, and everything else the storm picked up. It is treated as contaminated: protective equipment, removal of everything porous it touched (drywall to above the water line, carpet, pad, cabinets, insulation), disinfection of the hard surfaces, and drying. Saltwater from surge also corrodes; contractors who work Cutler Bay, North Miami, and the Keys Gate side of Homestead flush before they dry and know which materials are a loss the moment seawater touches them.

Documentation after a storm

Flood coverage is usually a separate policy (NFIP or private) from wind and rain coverage, and which one applies depends on how the water got in. Photograph the water line, the source, and the yard before cleanup starts. The contractor's moisture log and inventory of removed materials go to whichever insurer handles it. We do not advise on claims; the contractor documents, the insurer decides.

While you wait

Do not run the electrical in a flooded room. Do not wade into surge water. Open the garage and doors to move air once it is safe. If the roof is open, a roofer and a tarp come first; the line can point you to one.