One storm can produce two claims. Wind-driven rain through a damaged roof is usually a homeowners claim; rising water across the threshold is a flood claim needing separate cover. Floodwater is Category 3 by definition, so it runs $12 to $25 or more per square foot. Photograph the entry point before anything is repaired.
Water that comes through a roof or a broken window in wind-driven rain is usually a homeowners claim. Water that comes in across the threshold from outside is usually a flood claim, on a separate policy. The same storm can produce both in the same house.
They are documented differently and adjusted by different people, which is why the point of entry needs photographing before anything is cleaned up.
Floodwater is Category 3 by definition, which puts it at the top of the range.
| Job | Typical US range |
|---|---|
| Water damage restoration, whole claim | $1,300 to $5,900 |
| Clean water (Category 1), drying without demolition | $3.75 to $7 per sq ft |
| Gray water (Category 2), partial drywall and flooring removal | $7 to $12 per sq ft |
| Black water (Category 3), full demolition and structural drying | $12 to $25+ per sq ft |
| Mold remediation, contained area | $1,100 to $3,400 |
Source: Angi and operator-published rate cards compiled August 2026. Ranges are national and a range is never a quote.
Storm losses are the ones where evidence disappears fastest, because the instinct is to clear up.
Wind-driven rain entering through a damaged roof or window is usually covered. Rising water entering from outside is excluded and needs separate NFIP or private flood cover, which carries a waiting period.
The point of entry, before you cover or repair it, and the water line on the walls before extraction starts. Those two images do more for a claim than anything taken afterwards.
No. NFIP policies carry a waiting period specifically to prevent that, so cover has to be in place well before a named storm.
Because a flood zone map describes where a lender requires cover, not where water goes. A large share of flooded homes in major US events sat outside the mapped 100-year floodplain.
There is one, which is the point: cover cannot be arranged once a storm is named and forecast. Confirm the current period with NFIP or your carrier before hurricane season rather than during it.
Emergency Response
Call and a crew is dispatched - extraction the same day, drying equipment set the same visit, and the documentation your claim needs from the first hour.
