Electrical Safety After Flooding: What Not to Do
After a flood, the most dangerous thing in a house is often not the water itself but the electricity running through it. Water conducts electricity, and a circuit that looks harmless can be live. This guide is about what not to do, because the wrong move around wet electrics can be fatal.
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There is no DIY electrical advice here. If you are unsure about anything electrical after flooding, stay away from it and call for help.
Do not enter flooded buildings
Do not go into a flooded building if water has reached outlets, appliances, the breaker panel or any wiring. You cannot tell by looking whether a circuit is live, and standing in water while touching a live circuit is extremely dangerous.
If you are outside and the house is flooded, stay outside and call for help. Do not go in to rescue belongings, and do not go in to check the breaker panel.
Do not handle electrics in or near standing water
Do not touch switches, plugs, appliances or light fittings that are wet or standing in water. Do not unplug a wet appliance, do not pick up a phone charger that fell into water, and do not switch on lights in a flooded room.
Even a small amount of water near an outlet is a reason to stay away. Wet hands and wet floors make the risk worse, so keep your distance from anything electrical until the area is dry and has been checked.
Shut off power only if safe from a dry place
Power should be shut off only if you can do so from a dry place, such as a breaker panel in a dry part of the house that has not been touched by water. If the panel itself is wet, or if you have to walk through water to reach it, leave it alone.
If the power is already off, do not switch it back on yourself. Wait for someone qualified to check the system and confirm it is safe before power is restored.
Call for help
If someone has received an electric shock, call emergency services and do not touch the person while they are still in contact with the water or the electrical source. If you smell burning or see sparking, leave the building and call for help from outside. Once the electrical risk is dealt with, emergency water removal can begin.
In the Hudson Valley, water damage help in Yonkers can arrange an assessment once the electrical risk is dealt with, and water damage restoration explains the process that follows. Electrical safety always comes before water damage repair.
Key Takeaways
- Do not go into a flooded building if water has reached outlets, appliances, the breaker panel or any wiring.
- Do not touch switches, plugs, appliances or light fittings that are wet or standing in water.
- Power should be shut off only if you can do so from a dry place, such as a breaker panel in a dry part of the house that has not been touched by water.
- If someone has received an electric shock, call emergency services and do not touch the person while they are still in contact with the water or the electrical source.
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