Eleven questions asked at a wet room's edge

People ask about drying first. The answers that matter most sit earlier: electricity, gas and engine exhaust. The eleven questions in the table run in that order, from the ones where a wrong move can injure someone down to the ones about paperwork. Each answer leans on a public page named in the margin, and where the pages say nothing, this read says so.

CDC's advice for a flooded home puts the main power switch in your hands only when you can get to it from dry ground; if the route to the switch crosses water, an electrician does it. The same page holds back a wet-dry vacuum or pump until an electrician signs off on the power, and it parks gasoline engines outside with 20 feet of clearance from doors, windows and vents.

On gas, Cartersville's instructions are specific: give your name and address, operate no switch or device, put out flames, leave, and offer a callback number other than the one at the leak. The city system lists 770-387-5642 for its customers. Atlanta Gas Light lists 877.427.4321, around the clock, and names 911 as another way to report one once you are safe.

CDC says floodwater may contain sewage. Hands get washed after any contact, children stay out of it, and any food it touched is discarded. The same throw-away list takes drywall, rugs, cloth and wall coverings if they cannot be disinfected. For a tap supply that is under suspicion, CDC's list of uses to skip runs from dishes and teeth to hands, ice and formula.

EPA's brief guide and UGA Extension's checklist give one window for water-damaged areas and items: 24 to 48 hours. EPA's humidity target is below 60 percent, ideally 30 to 50. For a house that has been closed up for several days after flooding, CDC says to assume mold and to set fans at a window or door, blowing out. It also asks for the heating and cooling system to be inspected before it runs.

EPA's rough size is 10 square feet, roughly a 3-by-3-foot patch. Sewage or contaminated water changes the answer, and EPA says to call a professional experienced with it. CDC's mold page does not recommend testing. It notes that people with asthma or allergies may react severely, that bleach goes no stronger than 1 cup per gallon of water, and that bleach is never mixed with ammonia.

The Georgia insurance commissioner's office says to photograph or video damage before temporary repairs, and to keep receipts. For a claim, FEMA's checklist begins with the policy number and a description of the damage, then photos or video, a room-by-room list of damaged belongings and receipts. This site says nothing about what any policy covers; for that, the commissioner's office has (800) 656-2298 and (404) 656-2070.

The checking ends where the stop-now lines begin: a live switch, a bulging ceiling or a smell of gas. Everything else is a conversation. If the floor is wet, standing water and soaked carpet shows what a visit looks at. If the water spread from a machine, appliance and water heater leaks does the same. Once the stop-now items are clear, call (678) 288-4775 and describe the room from the doorway.