Flood cleanup in Queens: rain floods, surge floods and what to throw out

Queens Water Damage Restoration is an independent referral service, not a restoration company. When you send the form, your details go to an independent local restoration provider serving Queens, who can contact you, inspect and quote any work directly. You decide whether to hire them.

Two kinds of Queens flood

Rain: the inland basement flood

In September 2021, rain from Hurricane Ida broke records in New York City. The NYC Health Department reports that about nine inches fell, at up to 3.5 inches an hour in some areas, against a sewer capacity of 1.75 inches an hour, and the National Weather Service issued its first-ever flash flood emergency for the city. Fourteen people died from causes related to Ida; ten of them, 71 percent, drowned in unregulated basement apartments. The Health Department’s lesson is that rainfall flooding can happen anywhere in the city, and that low-lying areas and basement apartments are at higher risk. Richmond Hill, Jamaica and the neighborhoods along Queens Boulevard are not near the ocean, and their basements can still flood.

Surge: the shoreline flood

Superstorm Sandy in 2012 flooded the coast instead. The Health Department counts 52 injury deaths in the city from Sandy, mostly along the coasts in zones where an evacuation had been ordered, and 25 percent of them were in Queens. Thirty-six people drowned, and at least a third of those who drowned at home were found in a basement or lived in a basement apartment. Surge brings seawater in from outside, so it can reach above the basement too.

DEP adds two more ways water gets in: groundwater, when saturated ground pushes water through foundation cracks or a leaking floor drain, and sewer backups, when rain overloads the pipes and water comes up through basement sewer connections. A single storm in Queens can bring all of them at once.

Floodwater is Category 3 water

The industry standard for water damage, the ANSI/IICRC S500, defines Category 3 water as grossly contaminated, able to contain pathogenic, toxigenic or other harmful agents, and able to cause significant adverse reactions if contacted or consumed. Its examples include sewage, all forms of flooding from seawater and rising water from rivers or streams. The EPA adds that standing water and wet materials are a breeding ground for viruses, bacteria and mold.

The S500 is careful on one point: rain coming in from above, wind-driven rain and water from weather events are not automatically Category 3. The restorer decides on inspection. But a basement filled by a sewer backup, or a house in the Rockaways filled by the bay, is the kind of water the standard has in mind. For Category 2 or 3 water, the S500 says remediation should happen before restorative drying, using contamination controls and worker protection.

Safety on the way back in

• Do not go into a flooded basement while water is near outlets, the panel or appliances. Switch the main power off only from a dry place, and never touch switches or tools while standing in water.
• Have an electrician check the electrical system before the power goes back on.
• If you smell gas, the CDC says to turn off the main gas valve, open the windows and leave at once; report it from outside.
• Run generators only outside and at least 20 feet from the building, as the EPA advises; carbon monoxide can kill in minutes. OSHA notes gasoline and diesel pumps and pressure washers release it too.
• If you must enter floodwater, the CDC says to wear rubber boots, rubber gloves and goggles. Keep children and pets away.
• Do not mix cleaning products, and do not add bleach to other chemicals.

The EPA’s advice for water or mold damage caused by sewage or other contaminated water is to call in a professional who has experience cleaning and fixing buildings damaged by contaminated water.

How flood cleanup works

1. Inspection and documentation. Where the water reached, how high it stood and what it touched, photographed before anything moves.
2. Pump-out and extraction. Standing water out first, then extraction from floors. See water removal in Queens.
3. Removal of what cannot be cleaned. The CDC says to remove and discard drywall and insulation contaminated by floodwater or sewage, and to throw away what cannot be cleaned or dried quickly, such as mattresses, carpeting, carpet padding, rugs and upholstered furniture.
4. Cleaning and remediation. Hard surfaces are cleaned before drying starts, as the S500 sets out for Category 3 water.
5. Drying. Air movers and dehumidifiers, with moisture readings until the structure is dry. The EPA says to dry water-damaged areas within 24 to 48 hours to prevent mold.
6. Mold check and repair. Then the rebuild, covered on the water damage repair in Queens page.

What to keep and what to let go

Item	After clean water from a pipe	After floodwater or sewage
Carpet and pad	May be dried if dried quickly	On the CDC throw-away list
Drywall and insulation	May be dried or cut back	Removed and discarded (CDC)
Upholstered furniture, mattresses	Depends on inspection	On the CDC throw-away list
Hard furniture, tile, metal	Cleaned and dried	Washed with hot water and detergent (CDC)
Papers and photos	Photograph, then decide	Photograph, then decide

The table is a general guide drawn from the CDC’s flood cleanup advice, not a rule; the provider decides on inspection. Before anything goes to the curb, photograph it and list it. Keep a sample of carpet or material if you can, and keep receipts for what you buy.

Flood zones and evacuation zones are different maps

Two maps get confused in Queens. FEMA’s Flood Insurance Rate Maps show flood zones, marked with letters. The high-risk area, the Special Flood Hazard Area, is the area with a 1 percent chance of flooding in any year, also called the 100-year floodplain; NYC points out that this means a 26 percent chance of flooding over the life of a 30-year mortgage. Moderate-risk areas are labeled Zone B or shaded Zone X.

NYC’s hurricane evacuation zones are numbered, one to six, ranked by the risk of storm surge, with zone 1 the most likely to flood. NYC Emergency Management says the two should not be confused. You can find your evacuation zone with the city’s Hurricane Evacuation Zone Finder or by calling 311, and your flood zone on NYC’s flood maps pages. NYC’s flood maps pages say the Building Code requires new and substantially improved buildings to use FEMA’s preliminary maps until a new map is adopted; check those pages for the current rule.

Flood insurance, in general

FloodSmart, the federal flood insurance program’s site, says most homeowners insurance does not cover flood damage, and only flood insurance covers the cost of rebuilding after a flood. It defines a flood as an excess of water on normally dry land affecting two or more acres or two or more properties, and says damage from a sewer backup is covered if the backup is a direct result of flooding. A flood policy generally takes effect 30 days after purchase. FloodHelpNY says a renter’s belongings are not likely to be covered by renter’s insurance. None of this tells you what your policy says: check your own policy or ask your agent, and do not throw out damaged items until they have been recorded.

Before the next storm

A few things help before rain or surge is forecast: know your hurricane evacuation zone and your flood zone; move valuables, papers and electronics off the basement floor for good, not just when a storm is named; keep the outside steps and area drains clear; and make sure your downspouts do not run into the sewer, which DEP says is mandatory for homeowners because those connections can cause sewer backups in basements. DEP’s guide, Rainfall Ready: A Homeowner’s Guide, is published in 12 languages and covers protecting a home from flooding and sewer backups. If your basement is rented as an apartment, plan how the people living there would get out.

Flood cleanup across Queens

Each part of Queens has its own flood pattern. Richmond Hill, Jamaica and Corona see rain floods in basements; Howard Beach and the Rockaways are surge neighborhoods. Keeping the next one out, with backwater valves and disconnected downspouts, is on the basement waterproofing page.

Questions people ask