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Emergency Water Damage Help in NJ: Who to Call First
When water is pouring into your house, the question is not whether to call someone, but who to call first. The answer depends on what is happening, and it is worth knowing before the emergency happens, because the first call sets the course for everything that follows. In most cases the first call is to a water damage restoration professional, but there are situations where the first call should be to 911, and knowing the difference matters.
- ✓ Written for New Jersey homeowners
- ✓ Visit first, then a plan
- ✓ Call to arrange a visit
This guide covers who to call first in a water damage emergency, in the order that helps most. No availability promise is made here, because hours and response times are for the operator to confirm, and the guidance is about the order of the calls, not about how quickly anyone will arrive.
Safety first: when to call 911
There are times when the right call is to 911, and they should come before any other call. If someone is in the water and cannot get out, call 911. If someone has been shocked, call 911. If there is a smell of gas, leave the house and call 911 from outside. If there is smoke, sparking, or a smell of burning from any electrical fitting, leave the house and call 911 from outside. If the floodwater is rising and someone is at risk, call 911 rather than trying to rescue them yourself.
These are the situations where a life is at risk, and they are the situations where emergency services are the right first call. Do not call a restoration company first in these cases, and do not try to deal with the danger yourself. Get everyone out of the house, get to a dry, safe place, and call 911. Everything else, the water, the damage, the cleanup, can wait until people are safe.
Shut the water off if it is safe
Once people are safe, the next step is to stop the water, if you safely can. Find the main water shut-off and turn it off, but only if you can reach it from a dry place. If the shut-off is under water, or you would have to wade to reach it, do not go. If the water is coming from outside, from rain or rising water, there is no valve to turn, and the job is to stay in a dry place and wait for the water to recede.
Do not touch any electrical item that is in or near standing water, and do not switch off the power unless you can do so safely from a dry place. The emergency water removal page covers the first stage of the professional response, which is taking the standing water out of the house. Stopping the water is the step that limits the damage, and it is the step that comes before any call about the cleanup.
Call a restoration professional
Once people are safe and the water is stopped, call a water damage restoration professional. Describe what happened, where the water is, what kind of water it is, clean, grey, or contaminated, and whether the power is on. That information helps the visit start in the right place, and it is worth having ready before you call. If the loss involves sewage or floodwater, say so, because that changes how the visit is prepared for.
Have your notes ready: when you first noticed the water, where you think it came from, and which rooms are affected. Photos taken before anything was moved are useful too. The water damage restoration page describes what a professional visit covers, from inspection through to repair. The call is the start of the recovery, and a clear description makes the start faster.
Who else may need a call
Depending on the loss, there may be other calls to make. If the water came from a burst pipe or a plumbing failure, a plumber may be needed as well as a restoration professional, and the two work together: the pipe is repaired, and then the water damage is dealt with. If the roof is leaking, a roofer may be needed, and the roof repair and the water damage restoration are separate jobs that happen in sequence, not at the same time.
Your insurer is another call, and it is worth making promptly. Describe what happened, without guessing at the cause or the cost, and let the inspection establish the cause. Homeowners in Toms River and across New Jersey who call their insurer early, with photos and notes in hand, find the claims process far easier than those who call days later with only a memory of the loss. If you rent, the landlord or property manager is the call to make, promptly and in writing, alongside the call to the restoration professional.
What to have ready before an emergency
The best time to prepare for a water damage emergency is before one happens. Know where the main water shut-off is, and make sure everyone in the household knows too. Know where the breaker panel is, and whether you can reach it from a dry place. Keep the number of a restoration professional somewhere easy to find, on the fridge or in your phone, so you are not searching for it while water is spreading. And keep a torch in a dry place, because emergencies have a habit of happening at night.
A little preparation goes a long way. A household that knows where the shut-off is, who to call, and what to say when they call will act faster and calmer than one that is working it out for the first time while the floor is under water. Water damage is stressful, but it is a problem with a clear sequence of steps, and the sequence starts with safety, then stopping the water, then calling the right people, in the right order.
Keeping the numbers you need before an emergency
The best time to prepare for a water damage emergency is before one happens, and the preparation is mostly a matter of keeping a few numbers where you can find them. Keep the number of a water damage restoration professional on the fridge or in your phone, so you are not searching for it while water is spreading. Keep the number of your insurer, and your policy number, in the same place, so the call to the insurer can be made promptly, with the details to hand. If you rent, keep the number of the landlord or property manager where you can find it, and if you live in a condo, keep the number of the building manager too.
Keep a torch in a dry place, because emergencies have a habit of happening at night, and keep a note of where the main water shut-off is, and where the breaker panel is, so anyone in the house can find them. These are small preparations, and they take an afternoon to put together, but they are the difference between a household that acts fast and a household that is working it out for the first time while the floor is under water. Water damage is stressful, but it is a problem with a clear sequence of steps, and the sequence starts with knowing who to call, and being able to call them.
Key Takeaways
- There are times when the right call is to 911, and they should come before any other call.
- Once people are safe, the next step is to stop the water, if you safely can.
- Once people are safe and the water is stopped, call a water damage restoration professional.
- Depending on the loss, there may be other calls to make.
- The best time to prepare for a water damage emergency is before one happens.
- The best time to prepare for a water damage emergency is before one happens, and the preparation is mostly a matter of keeping a few numbers where you can find them.
Your Next Step
If this guide matches what you found at home, the next step is a visit — not a guess. Call and describe what you found, and the visit is arranged from what you describe. The Emergency Water Removal page explains what that service covers, and the structural drying page explains how drying works after the water is removed.
Do not enter a flooded room, do not touch electrics in or near standing water, and do not try to clean up sewage yourself — sewage is Category 3 black water and a health hazard.
Keep the guides on this site bookmarked: the first guide, the signs guide, and the preparation guide cover the checks worth repeating — after a leak, a flood, or a burst pipe.
Water Damage Restoration help is available across New Jersey. See water-damage-restoration in Bloomsbury, NJ for one local example, or find your town on the service areas page.
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