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Electrical Safety After Flooding: What Not to Do

Water and electricity are a dangerous combination, and flooding brings them together in the worst way. Submerged outlets, soaked wiring, appliances sitting in water, a breaker panel that has been underwater: any of these can be live, and none of them looks dangerous. The most important thing to know about electrical safety after flooding is what not to do, and the list is short, simple and absolute.

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This guide covers the rules: do not enter flooded buildings, do not handle electrics in or near standing water, shut off power only if it is safe to do so from a dry place, and call for help. It gives no do-it-yourself electrical advice. Homeowners in Shreveport and Lafayette face the same risks, and the water damage restoration page explains what a professional visit generally covers.

Do not enter flooded buildings

The first rule is the most important: do not enter a flooded building. Standing water can hide live electrical fittings, and a room that looks safe can still carry a current. Water that has reached the level of outlets or switches, or that covers the floor around appliances, is dangerous to walk through. A flooded building can also hide other hazards: weakened floors, sharp objects, contaminated water and structural damage. If the building is flooded, stay out until the water has receded and the property has been checked by the relevant authorities or a professional.

If you have been evacuated, follow the instructions of the authorities about when it is safe to return. Do not return early to check on belongings, and do not go into a flooded building alone. The risk is not only the water you can see. Wiring inside walls can be wet even when the room looks dry, and a switch or outlet that was submerged may still be live after the water has gone. Entering a flooded building to switch something off is never worth the risk.

Do not handle electrics in or near standing water

Do not touch switches, outlets, appliances, cords or wiring that are in or near standing water. Do not switch lights on or off in a wet room, do not unplug appliances while standing in water, and do not use any electrical equipment, including a wet vacuum, a fan or a heater, in a room with standing water. Do not touch the breaker panel if it is wet, or if you have to cross standing water to reach it. Do not attempt to dry out electrical fittings, outlets or appliances yourself.

If you hear buzzing, see sparking, or smell burning, leave the area immediately and call for help from outside the house. If the water has reached the breaker panel or the level of outlets, treat the whole area as dangerous and keep everyone out. Electrical danger is not always visible, and a floor that looks only damp can still carry a current from a submerged fitting. The only safe move is distance: keep away from the water and the electrics, and let a professional deal with both.

Electrical Safety After Flooding: What Not to Do — Louisiana water damage guide

Shut off power only if safe from a dry place

Power can be switched off, but only if it is safe to do so from a dry place. If you can reach the breaker panel without crossing standing water, and the panel itself is dry, you may switch off power to the affected area. If the panel is wet, if you have to walk through water to reach it, or if you are unsure, leave it alone. Do not stand in water to reach a switch, and do not use a wet hand or a metal object to operate a breaker. If the panel is outside the house and reachable from dry ground, that is the safe way to do it.

If you cannot safely switch the power off, call for help and say so. The utility company or the emergency services can isolate the supply, and a professional can advise you on what to do next. Do not attempt to cut power by any other means, and do not assume the power is off because the lights are out. A circuit can be live even when the lights are not working, and the only way to know is to have it checked by someone qualified to do so.

Call for help

Call for help when there is any electrical danger, any doubt about whether it is safe to enter, or any sign of sparking, buzzing or burning. If a person is at risk, or if there is a smell of gas or a risk of fire, call 911 first. For the water damage itself, call a water damage restoration professional once the property is safe to enter, and describe what happened in plain terms: how high the water reached, which rooms were affected, and whether any electrical fittings were submerged.

While you wait, keep everyone out of the affected rooms, keep children and pets away from standing water, and do not try to move electrical appliances or fittings. For homes in New Orleans and Baton Rouge, as across Louisiana, the rules are the same: do not enter flooded buildings, do not handle electrics in standing water, shut off power only if it is safe from a dry place, and call for help. The emergency water removal page describes what a professional visit generally covers once the property is safe to work in.

After the power is restored

Once the water is gone and the power is restored, do not assume the electrics are safe. Wiring inside walls can be wet even when the room looks dry, and a switch or outlet that was submerged may still be live or damaged. Do not switch on appliances that were in the water, do not plug anything into an outlet that was submerged, and do not use a light switch in a room that was flooded until a professional has checked the electrics. The check should be done by someone qualified to do it, and it should happen before the house is lived in normally again.

If an appliance was submerged, leave it unplugged and let a professional assess it. If the breaker panel was wet, leave it alone and call for help. For homes in New Orleans and Baton Rouge, the water damage restoration page describes what a professional visit generally covers, and the electrics are the part of the house where patience matters most. A house that looks dry and has power back on is not necessarily a house that is safe, and the check is what makes it safe.

Key Takeaways

The first rule is the most important: do not enter a flooded building.
Do not touch switches, outlets, appliances, cords or wiring that are in or near standing water.
Power can be switched off, but only if it is safe to do so from a dry place.
Call for help when there is any electrical danger, any doubt about whether it is safe to enter, or any sign of sparking, buzzing or burning.
Once the water is gone and the power is restored, do not assume the electrics are safe.

Questions About Electrical Safety After Flooding: What Not to Do

Can I switch off the power if my house is flooded?

Only if you can do so safely from a dry place and the breaker panel itself is dry and reachable without crossing standing water. If the panel is wet, or you would have to walk through water to reach it, leave it alone and call for help.

Is it safe to use a fan or heater in a flooded room?

No. Do not use any electrical equipment, including fans, heaters or wet vacuums, in a room with standing water. Keep everyone out of the room and call a professional.

What should I do if I see sparking or smell burning after a flood?

Leave the area immediately and call for help from outside the house. If a person is at risk or there is a risk of fire, call 911 first. Do not go back in to investigate.

Can I enter my house once the floodwater has gone?

Only once it is safe to do so, and only after the property has been checked. Wiring inside walls can be wet even when the room looks dry, and a switch or outlet that was submerged may still be live. Follow the instructions of the authorities about when to return.

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 water damage restoration page explains how the full sequence works when water has reached more than one room.

Do not enter flooded rooms while you wait, and if water is leaking, turn off the shut-off valve for that fixture where you can reach it safely from dry ground.

Keep the guides on this site bookmarked: the first guide, the signs guide, and the preparation guide cover the checks worth repeating — after moving in, and after bringing used fixtures home.

Water damage help is available across Louisiana. See water damage restoration in Kaplan, LA for one local example, or find your town on the service areas page.