Storm Response: What to Do When Water Is Coming In

When the Bay Area's peak storm season arrives — the December-through-February window when roughly 40% of annual property losses occur — the question is no longer whether to prepare, but how to respond when water is already coming in. This guide is the real-time playbook for during and immediately after a major storm.

SECTION 01The Three Ways Storms Get Water Into Buildings

Understanding how storm water enters helps you respond to it. During a major Bay Area storm, water comes in three primary ways:

Each requires a different response, but all share one principle: the faster you act, the less damage results.

SECTION 02What to Do While the Storm Is Active

1. Contain what you safely can — buckets, towels, and moving valuables away from active leaks
2. Relieve bulging ceilings — a water-filled bulging ceiling can collapse; if safe, pierce a small drain hole at the lowest point into a bucket
3. Cut power to wet areas — if water is near electrical, switch off the affected circuits if you can do so safely
4. Document as you go — photograph the intrusion and damage for your insurance claim
5. Do not delay the call — restoration companies prioritize and schedule by call order during storm surges

SECTION 03For Commercial Properties: Added Stakes

For businesses and multi-unit buildings, storm response carries extra weight: water spreading across large floorplates, multiple tenants affected, and the cost of downtime. Commercial storm response requires the large-loss equipment — desiccant dehumidification, temporary power, high-volume extraction — to dry big spaces fast, plus the project management to coordinate multiple stakeholders. This is where equipment depth and experience separate restoration companies.

SECTION 04The 24-48 Hours After

Once the storm passes, the mold clock starts. Wet materials begin growing mold within 24-48 hours, so the window to extract water and begin drying is short. Surface drying is not enough — water wicks into wall cavities, under flooring, and into structural elements where it must be professionally dried and monitored. The difference between a property dried in this window and one left to sit is the difference between cleanup and reconstruction.