Hour one
1. Make it safe. If water is near outlets, cords, the electrical panel or appliances, turn off power to that area at the breaker if the panel is dry and you can reach it. If you cannot, stay out of the water. Do not enter a flooded basement with the power on. If you smell gas or sewage, leave the area and call the utility first.
2. Stop the water. Fixture valve, appliance valve or the main shutoff. In most Puget Sound homes the main is where the service enters the house: garage, utility room, crawl-space access or basement wall facing the street. If you cannot find or turn it, the water utility's emergency line can shut it at the meter.
3. Call dispatch. 844-543-5757, any hour. Have the address, what happened, how long the water ran and which floors are affected. Dispatch routes a crew and tells you a realistic arrival window.
4. Photograph everything, before you move anything. Wide shots of each room, the water line on walls, the source, close-ups of damaged items, the serial plate on a failed appliance. Shoot a short video walking through. These images are the foundation of the claim.
Hours one to four
5. Protect what you can. Move rugs, boxes, electronics and furniture out of the water. Put aluminum foil or plastic lids under furniture legs you cannot move. Pull up area rugs; leave wall-to-wall carpet for the crew. Open cabinet doors under wet sinks.
6. Report the claim. Call your insurer's claims line or file online. You will get a claim number and an adjuster assignment; give both to the restoration crew. Describe what happened factually and briefly: what failed, when you found it, what you have done. Do not speculate about cause or how long it was leaking.
7. Do not do these things. Do not run fans into sewage or grey water. Do not use a household vacuum on standing water. Do not turn on ceiling fixtures that have water above them. Do not throw anything away yet, even ruined items, until they are photographed and inventoried. Do not sign anything from anyone at your door that you have not read.
When the crew arrives
8. Walk them through it. Where the water came from, how long it ran, what you have already moved. Point out anything you are worried about: hardwood, a piano, documents, a finished basement.
9. Confirm who they are. You should be told the contractor's name and Washington L&I registration number. You can verify it on the L&I website in a minute. A reputable crew expects the question.
10. Understand the work authorization. Before mitigation starts you will sign an authorization that allows the contractor to work and to bill your insurer directly on covered claims. Read it. It should name the contractor, describe the mitigation scope, state that you remain responsible for your deductible and for anything your policy does not cover, and not include a blank-check assignment of your entire claim.
The rest of day one
11. Keep a log. A note on your phone with every call, who you spoke to, the time and what was said. Claim number, adjuster name and direct line, contractor contact.
12. Save receipts. Fans or a dehumidifier you bought, a hotel if you cannot stay in the house, meals if your kitchen is out of service. Additional living expense coverage, if your policy has it, reimburses reasonable costs with receipts.
13. Ask about contents. Wet furniture, rugs, electronics and documents are a separate part of the claim from the structure. The crew inventories and photographs what they handle; you list the rest.
What day two looks like
Equipment is running, readings are being taken, and the adjuster has or will shortly have the first photos and the scope. The crew returns daily. Your job is to keep the equipment running, keep the affected rooms closed off, and send the adjuster anything they request promptly. Most residential losses are dry within three to five days; the rebuild conversation starts once drying is verified.
