Water Damage Emergency
in Des Moines?
Don't wait. IICRC-certified pros in Des Moines respond in 42 minutes on average. Every minute of standing water increases damage and mold risk.
Do These Things Right Now
- 1
Shut off your main water supply
The shutoff is usually at your water meter, under a sink, or in your utility room. This stops the water immediately.
- 2
Cut electricity to wet areas
Go to your breaker panel and cut power to any circuit in the affected area. Never wade through water near electrical outlets or panels.
- 3
Document everything NOW
Video and photograph all damage before touching anything. Walk through every affected room. This is critical for your insurance claim.
- 4
Call us — we dispatch IICRC-certified pros in Des Moines
Our emergency line connects you immediately with certified local teams. Average dispatch time in Des Moines: 42 minutes.
- 5
Call your insurance company
Open a claim while waiting for the restoration team. Get a claim number before work begins.
Free to homeowners · 24/7 · IICRC certified pros
Common Emergencies in Des Moines
Des Moines, Iowa faces spring snowmelt flooding that is among the most predictable annual flood events in the country. The Des Moines, Iowa, Cedar, and Mississippi rivers overflow their banks in most years after winter snowpack melts — the 2008 Iowa flood was a $10 billion disaster affecting Cedar Rapids and Iowa City. Polar vortex events reach Iowa with temperatures below -20°F that cause rapid pipe freezing in uninsulated exterior walls and crawl spaces. Iowa's clay-rich soils retain water against foundation walls, increasing basement flooding frequency after sustained rainfall. Iowa Insurance Division regulations require insurers to acknowledge claims within 10 working days.
- Des Moines River spring flooding from Iowa snowmelt overwhelming levees in the Birdland neighborhood and the Saylorville corridor — the river crested at 28 feet in the 2008 catastrophic flood
- Raccoon River flooding on Des Moines's west side threatening Windsor Heights and Urbandale properties when the river rises above 23 feet at the Fleur Drive gauge
- Polar vortex pipe bursts in Des Moines's large stock of 1950s–1970s ranch homes and split-levels with uninsulated crawl spaces and exposed water supply lines
- Clay-heavy Loess Hills soils absorbing rainfall slowly and producing sheet flooding across suburban neighborhoods during summer convective storms dropping 2"+ in an hour
- Iowa's intense summer hailstorms — Des Moines is on the western edge of the Midwest hail corridor — causing roof damage that leads to interior water intrusion throughout the metro