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The first hour after water gets in

Make it safe, stop the water at the main shutoff, photograph everything, call your insurer, then start drying. The EPA's goal is to have wet materials dry within 24 to 48 hours.1

Last reviewed October 24, 202610 sources, numbered in the textSee sources

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Free service. Call now and we'll connect you with a local restoration company. How it works

Six steps, in order

Do these top to bottom.

You do not have to do all of it yourself. Stop at any step that is beyond what you can safely handle.

  1. 01
    Before anything else

    Make it safe before you save anything

    If there is standing water and you can reach the main power switch from a dry spot, turn the power off. If you would have to step into the water to get to it, call an electrician instead. Never touch switches, tools or appliances while standing in water.2 If you smell gas, get everyone outside and call the gas company or the fire department from there.2

  2. 02
    Minutes 1 to 5

    Stop the water where it starts

    Turn off the main water shutoff; knowing where it is lets you stop a failed hose or pipe quickly.3 If the water is coming from the swamp cooler, a sticking float valve can keep water running until it overflows the tray.4 If monsoon rain is coming through the roof, a tarp is a reasonable temporary repair. Keep the receipt.5

  3. 03
    Before you move anything

    Photograph and film it first

    Take photos or video of the damage before you move or throw anything out, and keep damaged items until the adjuster has seen them.5

  4. 04
    Today

    Call your insurance company early

    Ask whether the loss is covered, what the filing deadline is, and whether it is likely to exceed your deductible.5 Hold off on permanent repairs until an adjuster has seen the damage.5

  5. 05
    Hours 1 to 48

    Start drying what you safely can

    Open windows and doors when the weather allows and run fans and dehumidifiers; the CDC says to point fans so they blow air outward.2 The EPA's target is to dry wet materials within 24 to 48 hours.1 If the heating or cooling system may have got wet, do not run it until it has been checked.1,2

  6. 06
    Any time

    Know when it is not a DIY job

    If the water came from a sewer or another contaminated source, the EPA says to call a professional experienced with that kind of damage.1 If water came in from a street or a wash, avoid walking through it: Pima County warns it may contain hazardous materials.6

Please don't

  • Walk through standing water in a room where the power is still on.2
  • Run a generator, pump or pressure washer inside the house, garage or carport. Keep them at least 20 feet from doors, windows and vents.2
  • Drive or walk through a flooded road or wash crossing. The National Weather Service says 12 inches of rushing water can carry away most cars.7
  • Throw out damaged belongings before you have photographed them.5

What kind of water is it

Not all water is the same

Restoration companies sort water into three categories under the IICRC S500 standard. The category decides the protective gear, the procedure and the price, and one loss can involve more than one.8

  1. Category 1Clean source

    Water from a clean, sanitary source that poses no significant health risk.8

    A failed supply line or an overflowing cooler usually starts here. It is still on a clock: the EPA wants wet materials dry within 24 to 48 hours.1

  2. Category 2Significantly contaminated

    Water with significant contamination that can cause discomfort or illness.8

    Treat water that came in from outside, or sat on a garage floor, as suspect. Pima County warns that water entering a garage or home may carry hazardous materials.6

  3. Category 3Grossly contaminated

    Grossly contaminated water that can carry harmful pathogens or toxins, often called black water.8

    Sewage is the clear case. The EPA says to call a professional with experience in that kind of damage.1

A monsoon roof leak is not automatically Category 3: in March 2026 the committee behind the S500 standard said weather-related and top-down water should be judged from what is found at the site.9 If a company calls a roof leak a worst-case job, ask what they found.

Before you let anyone in

Five questions for whoever answers

  1. Their Arizona ROC license number. Look it up on the Registrar's site: Arizona law makes it unlawful to contract, or to claim to be a contractor, without a license in good standing unless an exemption applies.10
  2. Which license covers the work they propose. We did not find a state source that settles whether drying-only work needs a license in Arizona, so ask them and check the answer with the Registrar.
  3. What water category they have assigned, and what they found that led to it.9
  4. A written, line-item estimate before work starts.5
  5. Whether they will talk to your insurer. Tell your insurer yourself before you authorize permanent repairs.5

Look up a license: Arizona Registrar of Contractors

How this works

What happens when you call

It is free to call, and calling commits you to nothing.

  1. A woman on the phone in her kitchen, wet towels and a bucket on the counter under a stained ceiling, a saguaro outside the window.
    1

    You call

    Tell them what happened and where. Have the address ready.

  2. 2

    We connect you

    A call network puts you through to an independent local restoration company that serves Tucson and is taking calls.

  3. A technician points to a water stain beside a ceiling vent while a homeowner listens.
    3

    They assess and quote

    If you want a visit, they look at the damage and quote their own price. Ask for it in writing.

We are a free referral service, not a contractor. The company that answers sets its own prices. How this service works

A couple sit together on their couch with coffee as a fan dries the tile floor.

Want a local company to look at it?

Free to call. An independent restoration company that serves Tucson answers, and you decide what happens next.

Call (520) 795-0505

Tucson Water Damage Advice is a free referral and information service, not a contractor. Calls are answered by independent local restoration companies through a pay-per-call network, and we may be paid when a call qualifies. We do not do the work and do not set prices or availability. How it works

Sources

Each numbered note on this page points here. We read every page on October 24, 2026. Where sources disagree we say so; where we could not find a source we left the claim out. We are not affiliated with any of these organizations.

  1. U.S. EPA, A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture and Your Home. Page updated February 18, 2026. www.epa.gov/mold/brief-guide-mold-moisture-and-your-home
  2. CDC, Safety Guidelines: Reentering Your Flooded Home. Page updated August 24, 2026. www.cdc.gov/floods/safety/reentering-your-flooded-home-safety.html
  3. Triple-I (Insurance Information Institute), How to protect your home from water damage. No date shown (page copyright 2026). www.iii.org/article/how-to-protect-your-home-from-water-damage
  4. University of Arizona Cooperative Extension (Water Wise), Swamp cooler maintenance. No date shown (page copyright 2026). extension.arizona.edu/programs/cochise-county-water-wise/water-saving-tips
  5. Triple-I (Insurance Information Institute), Settling insurance claims after a disaster. No date shown (page copyright 2026). www.iii.org/article/settling-insurance-claims-after-a-disaster
  6. Pima County, AZ, Storm & Flooding. No date shown. www.pima.gov/459/Storm-Flooding
  7. National Weather Service (NOAA), Turn Around Don't Drown. Undated page, read October 24, 2026. www.weather.gov/safety/flood-turn-around-dont-drown
  8. Cleanfax (trade magazine), Jeff Cross, "Understanding Water Damage Categories". May 6, 2025. cleanfax.com/water-damage-categories/ Summarises the IICRC S500 categories. We have not reproduced the S500 standard itself, which is sold by IICRC.
  9. IICRC, ANSI/IICRC S500 Consensus Body Issues Position Statement on Category of Water Damage and Weather-Related Events (press release). March 16, 2026. iicrc.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Weather-Related-Water-Damage-Position-PR_March-2026.p…
  10. Arizona Legislature, A.R.S. 32-1151, Engaging in contracting without license prohibited. Current text on azleg.gov. www.azleg.gov/ars/32/01151.htm
Call (520) 795-0505Free service. We'll connect you with a local restoration company. How it works