Every year thousands of homes are damaged because of floods or hurricanes. Within minutes, your home can go from your sanctuary to a mess due to water damage. Water will not only ruin your floors and walls but it can damage your precious belongings as well. If you find yourself facing this, what should you do?

No matter where the water is coming from, your first action should be to secure the safety of your family. Most people find themselves wanting to protect the materials in their home but when faced with a dangerous situation, you should take care of your family first. This may mean you need to leave your home and allow the damage to occur. Protect your family and loved ones first so that when you return to your home you will have the strength to repair the water damage done to your home.

If water is invading your home from a broken pipe or plumbing problem, your first task is to shut the water off. You may need to shut it off at the main valve. Use your judgment based upon the amount of water and the level of damage. Even if it was caused by a flood, you may still want to shut off the water to your home. Flood water can carry debris into your main water system so always follow your municipality's recommendations.

Once the water is shut off, you can start to evaluate the damage. Take pictures of your home before you start any cleanup process. You will need pictures to help with a homeowners' insurance claim, so keep your camera at hand, and take pictures at each stage of this process. After the pictures are taken you should start clearing any standing water from your home. Do not start any repairs to the damaged area. Your goal right now is to simply get the water out of your home. Until the water is removed, you will not be able to determine the extent of damage.

You now need to contact your insurance agent and wait for the company to provide you with the necessary information to proceed. Each insurance company will have different procedures on how to enact repairs. Usually an insurance adjuster will be sent to your home to determine the full extent of the damage and will help you to plan a path for repair. If you have suffered a large loss due to the water, it may be difficult to wait for your insurance company. Try to keep calm and be patient. You have paid insurance to help you in situations such as this.

There is nothing more emotionally challenging than facing a home in need of repair from water damage. Even a broken pipe can cause major damage to your home and cause health risks to your family.