Cleaning up a flooded cellar in Delaware City

WHYY has reported that urban flooding in Delaware City and other communities along Route 9 is becoming a big problem ^[1]. This is not the slow river rise people picture. It is rainwater that cannot get away fast enough, pooling on streets and low yards, backing up storm drains and pressing against foundations. When the tide is high, water has a harder time draining to the river and marshes, so a downpour at the wrong hour can do more than a bigger storm at another time.

DNREC planning work for nearby New Castle notes that rising seas are expanding high-tide flooding along the Delaware River ^[4]. Delaware City sits on the same river on similarly low ground. So a cellar that stayed dry for decades can start taking water, and owners should not rely only on how the house behaved in the past.

Standing water in a below-grade space is an electrical hazard. Do not step into it if outlets, a panel, a furnace or a water heater may be in contact with the water. Cut power at the panel only if you can reach it from a dry location; otherwise call your utility. If you smell gas, leave the house and call the gas company from outside.

While a storm is still under way, follow local instructions and stay out of floodwater on Route 9 and local streets. Ready.gov warns that even shallow moving water can be dangerous ^[3]. Wait until water outside has dropped before pumping a cellar. Removing water too soon, while the ground around the walls is still saturated, can put pressure on old foundations.

Many houses in the historic district stand on brick or stone foundations, and some have shallow cellars rather than full basements. Old masonry is not waterproof and was never meant to be. It absorbs water, passes it along slowly and gives it back to the room for weeks. That makes drying a longer job than the look of the room suggests. Masonry can leave white mineral deposits as it dries, which brush off and are a sign of moisture moving through the wall rather than a separate problem.

Be careful with sealers or hard coatings on old walls right after a flood. Trapping moisture in soft masonry can cause more trouble later. Ask for drying first, then a conversation about drainage. Where work disturbs painted surfaces in a house built before 1978, EPA lead-safe rules apply to paid contractors ^[7].

Mechanical equipment often sits at the lowest level of the house. If floodwater reached a furnace, water heater, air handler or electrical panel, have a qualified technician inspect it before it runs again. Gas controls that have been submerged are a particular concern. The house may be without heat or hot water for a few days, so plan for that. When it is time to replace this equipment, ask whether it can be raised on a platform or moved up a floor.

Flooding from streets and surface water is typically excluded from standard homeowners policies and covered only by separate flood insurance. The Delaware Department of Insurance has consumer information on flood coverage ^[5]. Below-grade spaces can have limits under flood policies as well, so ask what applies to yours before storm season. A shared record with neighbors, including when water arrived and how high it reached, helps everyone on the street and helps local officials see where drainage needs work.

Street flooding rarely stops at one address. Compare notes with neighbors about when the water arrived and how high it reached, and report the flooding to the city. Crews may be busy across the county after a wide storm, so tell the contractor plainly whether anyone in the house is vulnerable and whether equipment was reached by water.

See flooded basement cleanup for the general process, and water damage in Delaware City for local flooding, crawlspaces and historic homes. If your pump was the cause, see sump pump failure cleanup in Delaware City.