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House in the rain, water at the basement window, family safely at a ground-floor window, fire engine arriving

The basement is filling with water

A gurgle in the drain, then water on the basement stairs. Now only one thing counts: do not go down while electricity may be involved.

First

  1. Do not go into the basement if there is water in it – it may be live.
  2. Switch off the power only if the fuse box is dry and you can reach it without standing in water or on a wet floor. Otherwise: hands off.
  3. Call the fire service (112, in Austria also 122) if the water is rising, electricity may be involved or there is a smell of oil or gas.
  4. Get everyone out of the lower floor and stay upstairs. Keep children and animals away from the basement stairs.

Call emergency services if

  • The water is rising and electricity may be involved
  • Someone is trapped in the basement or underground garage
  • A smell of gas or oil
  • Water is also entering living areas and you can no longer get out safely

Emergency numbers for Austria · Change region

What is happening

Basements fill up during heavy rain when the sewers can no longer take the water and it pushes in through drains, light wells or basement windows, during floods when water comes in from outside, or through a burst pipe in the house. The water can rise very fast.

The biggest danger is electricity. If water stands in a room with sockets, appliances or the boiler room, it may be live – without you being able to see it. So: do not go in. Switch off the power only if the fuse box is dry and you can reach it without standing in water or on a wet floor. Everything else is a job for the fire service and a qualified electrician.

On top of that there is the water pressure – doors can hardly be opened against standing water, so anyone down there can be trapped –, heating oil tanks that float up and may leak, and dirty water containing sewage and chemicals. After pumping out, mould threatens if the rooms are not dried properly.

This page guides you through the first minutes, cutting off hazards, getting help and the time afterwards. With flood warnings and orders from the authorities, the advice on floods applies as well.

Step by step

The basement is filling with water – Phase 1 of 4At once: do not go in, everyone upstairs. Do not enter the basement if there is water in it – not for supplies, valuables or the car in the underground garage. Get everyone out of the lower floor, pets too. Do not open a door with water standing behind it. Keep children away from the basement stairs.
Phase 1 of 4

Phase 1 of 4

At once: do not go in, everyone upstairs

Do not enter the basement if there is water in it – not for supplies, valuables or the car in the underground garage. Get everyone out of the lower floor, pets too. Do not open a door with water standing behind it. Keep children away from the basement stairs.

The animation shows the key actions of each phase schematically; the text below is what counts.

  1. Phase 1

    At once: do not go in, everyone upstairs

    • Do not enter the basement if there is water in it – not for supplies, valuables or the car in the underground garage.
    • Get everyone out of the lower floor, pets too.
    • Do not open a door with water standing behind it.
    • Keep children away from the basement stairs.

  2. Phase 2

    Hazards: power, gas, oil, water valve

    • Switch off the power at the fuse box only if it is dry and can be reached safely; never touch anything electrical with wet feet or while standing in water.
    • If the fuse box is in the basement under water: hands off, call the fire service or the network operator.
    • If you smell gas: get out at once, do not operate switches or doorbells, call only once you are outside.
    • If you smell oil: do not go in, no naked flames, tell the fire service about the oil tank.
    • With a burst pipe, turn off the main water valve if it can be reached dry.

  3. Phase 3

    Get help and keep water out

    • Call the fire service if the water is rising, electricity may be involved or someone is trapped.
    • During big storms help can take time – people come before basements; stay upstairs in the home.
    • Only while it is safe outside: sandbags in front of light wells and basement doors, never in flowing water.
    • Do not put electric pumps or vacuums into the water; pumping out is for the fire service or professionals.

  4. Phase 4

    Once the water has gone

    • Enter the basement only once its power is safely off; switch the power back on only after a qualified electrician has checked it.
    • Have the heating, oil tank and gas appliances checked by professionals before they run again.
    • Wear rubber boots, gloves and eye protection for the clean-up – the water was contaminated.
    • Photograph the damage before clearing up and report it to your insurer.
    • Air and dry thoroughly to prevent mould; never use fuel-powered dryers indoors.

★ Pro tips

What experienced people do differently: proven practice from mountain rescue, fire services, lifeguards and civil protection that beginners rarely know.

  1. Don't pump out too early

    While groundwater or floodwater is still high outside, it presses on the walls and floor from the outside. Pumping the inside out too fast can damage the building. That is why fire services often wait until the water outside has gone down.

  2. During backflow, stop using water in the house

    When the sewer is full and the backflow valve has closed, your own waste water cannot drain away. Showering, running the washing machine or flushing then floods your own basement. Hold off on using water until the rain has eased.

  3. Dry out within 24 to 48 hours

    Mould can start growing within one to two days. Get wet carpets, cardboard and upholstery out, open the windows and dry as fast as possible. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) advises this.

  4. Mark the water line on the wall

    Once the water has gone, mark the highest water level on the wall and photograph it with a tape measure next to it. Your insurer will ask, and assessors see at once how high it was. Only throw damaged items away once they have been photographed.

What to watch out for

  • Electricity in the water

    You cannot see whether water is live. As long as it is not certain that the basement's power is off, the basement is out of bounds.

  • Water pressure on doors

    Doors can hardly be opened against standing water. Anyone in a filling basement or underground garage can be trapped.

  • Heating oil

    Heating oil tanks and canisters that float up can leak and contaminate the house and surroundings. A smell of oil means: do not go in, inform the fire service.

  • Carbon monoxide while drying out

    Generators, fuel-powered dryers and grills never belong in a basement, garage or home. Carbon monoxide is invisible and odourless.

  • Dirty water

    Water from sewers and floods almost always contains sewage and pollutants. Wash your hands, protect wounds, do not let children play in the water.

Common mistakes

  • Popping down to the basement “just quickly” to rescue something.
  • Touching the fuse box or appliances while standing in water.
  • Putting a submersible pump into the water while the basement's power is not safely off.
  • Switching the power back on yourself after pumping out.
  • Running a petrol-powered dryer in the basement.
  • Ignoring a smell of oil.

Prepare in advance

  • Know where the fuse box and main water valve are and whether they can be reached dry in an emergency.
  • Do not store valuables, documents and irreplaceable items in the basement.
  • Have someone check whether backflow protection and oil tank anchoring are in place; any work on them is for a specialist firm.
  • Look at the authorities' hazard maps for floods and heavy rain.
  • Install a warning app and enable severe-weather warnings for your location.
  • Check your insurance cover for natural hazards.

Special consideration

Children
Water in the basement seems exciting. Tell children clearly: the basement is now off limits because the water can carry electricity. One adult keeps watch at the basement stairs.
Pets
Bring animals kept in the basement or utility room upstairs at once – while the way is still dry.
Basement flats
Anyone living in a basement flat goes upstairs or outside at once when water rises and does not wait. Neighbours should know who lives there.

Sources

  • Floods · Ready.gov – U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
  • Ratgeber für Notfallvorsorge und richtiges Handeln in Notsituationen · Bundesamt für Bevölkerungsschutz und Katastrophenhilfe (BBK), Deutschland
  • Are You Ready? An In-Depth Guide to Citizen Preparedness · U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
  • A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture, and Your Home · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
  • Carbon Monoxide Poisoning – Prevention guidance · Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  • 112 – the European emergency number · European Commission

Your situation

Where is the water coming from?
How much water?
Do you also notice …

Matching entries

0 rules apply

No AI decides here. Every recommendation is based on a visible rule.

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Basics for this situation

Why: Always applies to this situation – regardless of your answers.

All rules of this situation (6)

  1. [not active] If How much water? = It keeps rising or Sockets or appliances are under water

    Do not enter the basement – not for supplies, not for the car in the underground garage. Doors can hardly be opened against the water pressure; anyone down there can be trapped.

  2. [not active] If How much water? = A few centimetres, not rising

    Even with little water: only go in once the basement's power is safely switched off. Touch nothing electrical and do not put any appliance into the water.

  3. [not active] If Where is the water coming from? = Burst pipe in the house

    Turn off the main water valve if you can reach it without walking through water. Then call a plumber or the building management, or the fire service if there is a lot of water and electricity is involved.

  4. [not active] If Where is the water coming from? = Flood water rising from outside or Heavy rain, water pushing up from drains or light wells

    Work outside only while it is safe: sandbags in front of light wells and basement doors, never in flowing water. Warnings and orders from the authorities take priority.

  5. [not active] If Do you also notice … = Oil tank in the basement or a smell of oil

    A tank that floats up can leak. If you smell oil, do not go in, do not smoke, no naked flames, and tell the fire service there is an oil tank in the basement.

  6. [not active] If Do you also notice … = A smell of gas

    If you smell gas, leave the house at once, do not operate switches, doorbells or appliances, and call the emergency number only once you are outside.