Flood Cleanup Services in Tempe: DIY or Call for Help?

By the Tempe Water Damage Pros team · Updated November 2026

What to do first

1. If water is near outlets, cords or appliances, stay out of the area. Shut off power only if you can reach the panel from a dry spot.
2. Stop more water from coming in if you safely can, such as closing a garage door or moving sandbags to a doorway.
3. Take wide photos and short videos of every wet room before you move or throw anything out.
4. Move rugs, boxes, electronics and furniture to a dry area, and keep kids and pets away from floodwater.
5. Call your insurance company, then call the number on this page to be connected with a local provider.

When do you need flood cleanup services instead of doing it yourself?

You likely need flood cleanup services when the water came from outside, sat for more than a day, or soaked into building materials. A small amount of clean water on tile, caught early, is often a do-it-yourself job with towels, fans and a wet vacuum.

Call for help if any of these are true:

• The water is dirty. Storm runoff and water from a wash or the street can carry soil, oil and sewage.
• It reached drywall, baseboards or cabinets. These soak up water and hide it inside the wall.
• Carpet and pad are wet across a room or more. The pad holds water long after the top feels dry.
• You cannot dry it within 24-48 hours. That is the window the EPA gives to help prevent mold.
• There is a smell that gets worse each day.

Our storm and flood damage cleanup page covers the work in more detail.

What can I safely clean up myself after a flood?

You can usually handle a small, clean-water spill on hard floors that you catch right away.

• Mop or wet-vacuum standing water from tile, concrete or sealed floors.
• Run fans and keep the air conditioning on to pull moisture out of the air. The EPA advises keeping indoor humidity below 60 percent.
• Check baseboards and the bottom of the drywall over the next few days for swelling or stains.

If something still feels damp after two days, or you see the stain spreading, the moisture has likely gone deeper than you can reach.

Is floodwater dirty even if it looks clear?

Yes, floodwater from outside should be treated as dirty even when it looks clear. Water that ran across yards, streets or washes picks up soil, fertilizer, oil and sometimes sewage along the way.

Restoration providers usually sort water into three plain groups:

• Clean water: from a supply line or a faucet, caught early.
• Gray water: from a washer, dishwasher or a clean leak that sat too long.
• Black water: outside floodwater and sewage. Porous items it touched, like carpet pad and drywall, are usually removed.

If water came up through a floor drain, tub or toilet, read our sewage backup cleanup page.

What does flooding look like in a slab home without a basement?

If your Tempe home sits on a concrete slab with no basement, a flood shows up at ground level instead of below the house. Water tends to collect in the lowest spots first.

• Garages, which often sit a step below the house and take in water under the door.
• Sunken living rooms and step-down family rooms.
• Rooms along a patio or a sliding door, where runoff pools against the wall.
• Ground-floor apartments and condos next to parking lots or courtyards.

Water on a slab can wick up into the bottom of the drywall and under flooring, even after the floor looks dry. That is why a moisture check matters.

What do flood cleanup services in Tempe usually include?

Flood cleanup usually means removing the water, taking out materials that cannot be saved, cleaning, and then drying the structure until readings are back to normal. The exact plan depends on how deep the water got and how long it sat.

• Water extraction with pumps and truck or portable vacuums. See emergency water extraction.
• Removing wet carpet pad, baseboards and drywall. ADHS advises removing drywall to at least 12 inches above the high-water mark after a flood.
• Cleaning surfaces that floodwater touched.
• Drying with air movers and dehumidifiers, checked with moisture meters. See structural drying.

Some items can be dried and kept. Our dry and restore vs. replace page explains how that choice is made.

What happens during the visit?

A local provider starts with an inspection. They walk through each wet room, ask where the water came from and how long it sat, and use moisture meters to find wet drywall, flooring and framing you cannot see.

Next, they explain your options in plain words, such as what can be dried in place, what should be removed, and what needs cleaning first. You should get a written quote before any work begins, so you can review it and share it with your insurance adjuster. See how it works for the full process.

Will insurance help pay for flood cleanup?

It depends on your policy and where the water came from. FEMA says most homeowners insurance policies do not cover flood damage, which usually means water that came in from outside. A separate flood policy works differently, and FEMA says there is typically a 30-day waiting period after purchase before a National Flood Insurance Program policy takes effect, with some exceptions.

Many policies treat sudden damage from inside the home, like a burst pipe, differently from outside flooding. Check your policy and document everything. DIFI advises calling your insurer or adjuster before calling a contractor, and keeping a log of dates, names and equipment used during drying. Read our insurance claim basics guide for more.

Why do Tempe and East Valley homes flood during storms?

Most floods in Tempe homes come from short, heavy storms that drop more rain than yards, streets and washes can carry away. The National Weather Service defines the monsoon as June 15 through September 30, and says flash floods are common in Arizona.

Heavy rain can also come after the monsoon. On one day in late September 2025, Phoenix Sky Harbor got 1.64 inches of rain, its highest one-day total since October 13, 2018, and NWS reported Indian Bend Wash rising above flood stage near Indian School Road in Scottsdale. NWS Phoenix also reported that the October 12-13, 2025 storms caused several water rescues, street and highway closures and overflowing washes across the Phoenix metro, plus a water rescue in Apache Junction along Weekes Wash.

NWS warns that about 1 to 2 feet of water can float most vehicles, so never drive through flooded streets to check on a property. Owners in Tempe, Mesa, Chandler, South Scottsdale, Guadalupe and Apache Junction can call to be connected with a local provider.

Related pages

• Storm and Flood Damage Cleanup
• Emergency Water Extraction
• Structural Drying and Dehumidification
• Water Damage Restoration in Chandler