Return home only when officials have declared the area safe. Re-enter your building carefully or ask the Community Development Department at 360.740.2696 for a complimentary safety check before you go in.

If your home has already been inspected by the Community Development and there is a red tag posted, do not enter the building. The red tag means the inspector saw severe damage to the structure and it is too dangerous to inhabit. Call the number on the tag for more information.

Cleaning Your Home

The EPA and CDC offer several guidance resources for cleaning your home after a flood:

• For information on safely working within your home after a flood, including instructional videos, visit EPA Guidance and Tips to Safely Clean Your Flooded Home.
• For ideas on cleaning after a flood, see CDC Guidelines for Cleaning Safely After a Disaster and Homeowner’s and Renter’s Guide to Mold Cleanup After Disasters.

Building Permits Required

Check with the Community Development Department at 360.740.2696 before you start repairs. A building permit is required for most repairs to a structure, including removing, altering or replacing the roof, walls, siding, wallboard, plaster, insulation, paneling, cabinets, flooring, electrical system, plumbing, heating or air conditioning.

You may proceed with the following emergency repairs without a permit:

• Removing and disposing of damaged contents, carpeting, drywall, wallboard, insulation, etc.
• Removing debris, scrubbing or cleaning floors, walls, ductwork, etc.
• Covering holes in roofs or walls and covering windows to prevent weather from inflicting further damage.
• Removing sagging ceilings, shoring up broken foundations, and other actions.
• Drying the inside of your home.

If you have flood insurance and your home has been damaged, follow these steps from FEMA on starting your flood insurance claims and documenting your damage.

Want to reduce damage from the next flood?

• Talk to the Community Development Department at 360.740.2696 about flood protection measures you can do as part of your repairs.
• There may be financial assistance for major projects like elevating the building above the flood level. Call the Community Development Department about funding help for protecting your house or business from flood damage. Some of these sources of assistance are pre-disaster grants from FEMA and some are grants available after a disaster declaration.
• If you have an NFIP flood insurance policy and your building is substantially damaged, you could receive an additional claim payment to help cover the cost of meeting the rebuilding requirements.
• Louisiana State University has ideas for “rebuilding safer, stronger, smarter” so your building will be better protected from the next flood. See Safer, Stronger, Smarter.

A building is substantially damaged when the cost to repair exceeds 50% of the building’s pre-damage market value.

• Substantially damaged buildings will have to be elevated or otherwise brought into compliance with the floodplain development codes for new buildings.
• Therefore, if the Community Development staff think your building may be substantially damaged, you should not make major repairs (unless the building presents a safety hazard) until you find out the final disposition.