What to do during a flood.

Step 1

Figure out where the water is coming from

• Clear water coming through cracks in your basement walls or floor? That’s usually just rain soaking through the ground — it’s called “seepage.”
• Water coming up from a floor drain or plumbing fixture? That’s probably a sewer backup.
• Did it rain a lot, with water coming in from outside? That’s called overland flooding.
• It could also be something else, like a leaky pipe, a leaky roof, or a sump pump that stopped working.

Step 2

Call your town

Your city or village takes care of the smaller sewer pipes on your street, before they connect to MWRD’s bigger pipes — so they’re the first call.

• In Chicago: call 3-1-1, visit 311.chicago.org, or use the CHI311 app.
• Everywhere else in Cook County: call your local public works department.

Step 3

Take photos and clean up safely

Take pictures of any damage before you start cleaning up. Then follow FEMA’s safety tips for cleaning up flood water safely.