Flood Cleanup in Des Moines
River and flash flood cleanup for the Des Moines metro: extraction, contaminated water handling, drying, and odor control.
A City That Knows What Rivers Can Do
Des Moines carries the flood memory most cities only read about. In July 1993 the Raccoon River topped the levee at the Des Moines Water Works and left more than 250,000 people without tap water for roughly two weeks. On June 14, 2008, a 50-foot breach in the Birdland levee sent the Des Moines River into the north-side neighborhoods it was built to protect. In June 2024 it was the upper basin's turn: days of torrential rain drove record crests on the West Fork Des Moines River and across northwest Iowa, a presidential disaster declaration came within days, and statewide damage was estimated above $310 million. Saylorville Dam holds back the Des Moines River north of the city, but 1993 proved that reservoirs have limits.
Between river events, flash flooding does the steady damage. On June 30, 2018, up to 8.72 inches of rain fell on parts of the metro in 24 hours and sent Fourmile Creek to a record crest, flooding homes from Ankeny down through the East Side and triggering buyouts that are still reshaping those blocks. Walnut Creek put water into homes in Clive, Urbandale, and West Des Moines the same night. Many of those houses were nowhere near a mapped flood zone, which is the standing lesson here: flash floods do not read FEMA maps. Whatever its path, flood water that has crossed yards, streets, and storm drains is Category 3 contaminated water, and the cleanup has to treat it that way.
What the Crew Does, In Order
First, safety screening: power off in affected areas, gas appliances checked, the structure assessed before anyone works in it. Second, extraction of standing water with high-capacity pumps, including basements that have filled to the joists. Third, controlled removal limited to what is actually unsalvageable, with everything photographed and documented for your flood or homeowners claim before it leaves the house. Fourth, structural drying with commercial dehumidification sized for an enclosed below-grade space, not a box fan on a staircase. Fifth, cleaning, antimicrobial treatment, and odor work so the lower level is livable again, not just dry.
If you carry NFIP flood coverage, the documentation requirements are specific and unforgiving; the standard proof-of-loss deadline is 60 days unless FEMA extends it. A crew that works flood losses in Polk County builds the file the way NFIP adjusters expect to see it. If you do not carry flood coverage, document everything anyway: when a disaster is declared, state and federal assistance programs run on the same paper.
Filing a claim? Read the Iowa water damage insurance claim guide before you call your carrier.
Need flood cleanup now?
One call connects you with a licensed Des Moines crew, day or night.
Flood Cleanup: Common Questions
Is flood damage covered by homeowners insurance?
No. Rising water from rivers, creeks, or overwhelmed drainage is excluded from standard homeowners policies and is covered only by a separate flood policy through the NFIP or a private carrier. A water backup endorsement is a different thing: it covers water backing up through drains or a failed sump, not overland flooding. The cause and entry path determine which policy applies, so documentation matters enormously.
I'm not in a mapped flood zone. Do I still need flood insurance?
It is worth pricing. The 2018 flash flood put water into hundreds of metro homes outside mapped high-risk zones, and policies outside those zones are often inexpensive. Remember the 30-day waiting period on new NFIP policies; buying when rain is already in the forecast does not work.
Can flooded carpet and drywall be saved?
With clean water from a pipe, often yes. With flood water from outside, carpet pad almost always needs to go, and drywall that wicked contaminated water is typically cut out to a uniform height above the water line. Your crew will tell you what is salvageable on site rather than guessing.
The whole neighborhood flooded. How do I actually get a crew?
Call immediately rather than waiting for the water to go down. Dispatch queues build by call order during area-wide events, and local crews work their own backyard first while out-of-town capacity trickles in. Earlier calls get earlier slots.
Areas We Serve Around Des Moines
Our local partner network covers Des Moines and the surrounding communities. Crews are dispatched from the closest available location, 24 hours a day.