Storm and flood cleanup in New Orleans
- 58 ZIP codes covered in New Orleans
- Free referral, no obligation
- Contaminated water and mold
Storm and flood cleanup in New Orleans
About half of New Orleans lies below sea level, inside a ring of levees. Rain that falls in the city cannot run off; it has to be lifted out by drainage pumps and sent to Lake Pontchartrain. When a storm delivers more water than the pumps and canals can move, streets fill and water enters homes even with no hurricane anywhere near. That is what happened on August 5, 2017, when a summer downpour flooded Mid-City, Lakeview and Treme.
The city's raised shotgun houses and cottages, built on piers a few feet off the ground, were designed for this. Water often passes under the floor without reaching the living space, but it soaks the subfloor, insulation and ductwork from below. Slab-on-grade houses in Gentilly, Lakeview and New Orleans East have no such buffer. After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, homes sat in water for weeks, and many were gutted to the studs.
Old New Orleans houses are framed in dense cypress and heart pine with plaster walls, materials that can often be cleaned, dried and kept. Drywall, modern insulation and engineered flooring cannot. Long power outages, like the one after Hurricane Ida in 2021, make drying harder, because dehumidifiers need electricity and the outdoor air is too humid to dry a house without them.
More about water damage in New Orleans.
Storm and flood cleanup at a glance
- Service area
- New Orleans, LA, Orleans Parish
- Water category
- Category 3 (contaminated)
- What's removed
- Soaked carpet, pad, insulation, lower drywall
- Insurance
- Needs a flood policy for rising water
- Drying time
- Usually 3–7 days after tear-out
How the job works
Safety check
The crew checks for electrical hazards, structural damage and gas smells before work begins.
Extract and remove
Water and mud are removed. Contaminated porous materials are cut out and bagged.
Clean and sanitize
Framing, slab and remaining surfaces are cleaned with antimicrobial products.
Dry and verify
Drying equipment runs until framing and slab readings reach dry standards; then rebuilding can start.
Signs, costs and general questions
The warning signs, the factors that affect cost, safe first steps and answers to general questions are the same everywhere. They are covered on the main storm and flood cleanup page.
Questions about storm and flood cleanup
My raised house in New Orleans had water under it but not inside. Do I need to do anything?
Yes, have it checked. Floodwater under the house soaks subfloor insulation and ductwork and raises the moisture in the floor framing. Wet insulation should come out and the framing should be dried.
Can old plaster and cypress be saved after a flood?
Often, yes. Solid old-growth wood and plaster on wood lath tolerate wetting better than modern materials if they are cleaned and dried promptly. A moisture meter confirms when they are dry.
Is street flooding from heavy rain covered by homeowners insurance in Louisiana?
No. Rising water is covered by flood insurance, which is a separate policy. Wind damage from a hurricane is a homeowners claim, usually with a named-storm deductible.
Where we can connect you
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Water where it shouldn't be?
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