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Sewage Backup: What to Do First in Louisiana

A sewage backup is the most serious kind of water loss a home can suffer, and the first rule is the simplest: stay away from it. Sewage is contaminated water. It carries bacteria and other hazards, it soaks into flooring, walls and belongings, and it is not something any homeowner should try to clean up. The right response is to avoid contact, stop using water in the house, keep everyone clear, and call a professional.

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This guide is safety-first throughout. It explains what to do and, just as importantly, what not to do when sewage backs up into your home. It applies to homes in Lake Charles and Monroe as much as anywhere else in Louisiana. The sewage cleanup page explains the professional cleanup side in general terms.

Avoid contact with sewage

Do not touch sewage, do not step in it, and do not let children or pets anywhere near it. Keep the affected rooms closed off, and if sewage has come up through a drain, a toilet or a shower, keep everyone out of the wet areas entirely. Sewage carries bacteria and other hazards that are not visible, and contact with it can make people ill. If you have touched it, wash your hands and any skin that came into contact with it thoroughly with soap and clean water, and change any clothing that got wet. Seek medical advice promptly if anyone feels unwell after contact.

Do not try to mop, scoop or vacuum sewage yourself, and do not use a household vacuum or a mop that you then use elsewhere. Do not throw contaminated water down another drain or outside onto the ground. Do not run fans in a sewage-affected room, because that can spread contaminated air through the house. Your part in the first hour is to keep people away, keep the area closed off, and call for help. The cleanup belongs to a professional with the right training and equipment.

Do not enter contaminated water

If sewage has flooded a room, do not enter it. Standing sewage can hide hazards you cannot see: sharp objects, a weakened floor, submerged electrical fittings, and the contamination itself. A room with standing sewage is not a room to walk through to rescue belongings. No possession is worth the risk. If the water is deep enough that you cannot see the floor, or if it has reached the level of outlets, stay out entirely and call for help from outside the affected area.

The same rule applies to any outbuilding, garage or lower level where sewage has collected. Do not go downstairs into a flooded area to look at the damage, and do not try to reach a shut-off valve or a breaker panel by crossing contaminated water. If the power needs to be switched off, say so when you call, and let the professional advise you. Electrical items in or near contaminated water are dangerous, and the combination of sewage and electricity is one to keep well away from.

Sewage Backup: What to Do First in Louisiana — Louisiana water damage guide

Shut off water use in general terms

Stop using water in the house. Do not flush toilets, do not run taps, showers, dishwashers or washing machines, and do not add any more water to a system that is already backing up. Every flush and every tap adds to the water that has nowhere to go, and it can make the backup worse. In general terms, if you can reach the main water shut-off from a dry, uncontaminated place, turning it off will stop more water from entering the system. Do not cross contaminated water to reach it.

Tell everyone in the household that the water is off and why, so nobody flushes a toilet or runs a tap out of habit. If the backup is affecting a shared drain or a whole building, tell the building manager or the landlord as well, because the cause may be in a shared line rather than in your own plumbing. A professional inspection will establish where the backup is coming from and how far it has spread, and the plan follows from that.

Call a professional

Call a sewage cleanup professional as soon as everyone is safe and the water is off. Describe what happened in plain terms: where the sewage came up, how far it has spread, which fixtures are affected, and whether anyone has come into contact with it. A professional visit generally starts with an inspection, then removal of the contaminated water and materials, cleaning of the affected area, and drying, with moisture readings to check progress. The visit is shaped by what the inspection finds, and the professional will explain what needs to be removed and what can be cleaned.

While you wait, keep the affected rooms closed, keep everyone out, take photographs from a safe position outside the wet area, and note when the backup started. Do not throw contaminated items away before they have been photographed and inspected. For homes in New Orleans and Alexandria, as across Louisiana, the order never changes: avoid contact, stop using water, keep everyone clear, document what you see from a safe distance, and call a professional. Sewage cleanup is professional-only work, and there is no safe do-it-yourself version of it.

What the professional visit involves

A sewage cleanup visit is a professional-only job from start to finish, and it is worth knowing what it generally involves so you can ask the right questions. The visit starts with an inspection to find where the sewage came from and how far it has spread, including under flooring and into the walls. The contaminated water and materials are then removed, the affected area is cleaned, and drying begins, with moisture readings to check progress. Flooring or drywall that has soaked through may need to be removed rather than cleaned, and that decision is made from what the inspection and the readings show.

While the work is under way, keep everyone out of the affected rooms, and do not try to help by mopping or moving wet items. Ask what the visit covers, what needs to be removed, and what the next steps are, while the answers are fresh. For homes in New Orleans and Baton Rouge, the water damage restoration page describes the general sequence that follows the cleanup, and the sewage cleanup page explains the cleanup side in general terms. Sewage cleanup is professional-only work, and there is no safe do-it-yourself version of it.

Key Takeaways

Do not touch sewage, do not step in it, and do not let children or pets anywhere near it.
If sewage has flooded a room, do not enter it.
Stop using water in the house.
Call a sewage cleanup professional as soon as everyone is safe and the water is off.
A sewage cleanup visit is a professional-only job from start to finish, and it is worth knowing what it generally involves so you can ask the right questions.

Questions About Sewage Backup: What to Do First in Louisiana

What should I do first when sewage backs up into my house?

Avoid all contact with the sewage, keep everyone out of the affected rooms, and stop using water in the house — no flushing, no taps, no appliances. Take photographs from a safe position and call a sewage cleanup professional. Do not try to clean it up yourself.

Is it safe to clean up a sewage backup myself?

No. Sewage is contaminated water that carries bacteria and other hazards, and it soaks into flooring, walls and belongings where a surface clean cannot reach it. Cleanup, removal and drying are professional-only work.

Should I keep using water if sewage is backing up?

No. Every flush and every tap adds water to a system that is already backing up and can make it worse. Stop using water, and if you can reach the main shut-off from a dry, uncontaminated place, turn it off.

What if someone touches sewage water?

Wash the skin thoroughly with soap and clean water and change any wet clothing. Keep the person away from the affected area. If anyone feels unwell after contact, seek medical advice promptly and describe the exposure.

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 Church Point, LA for one local example, or find your town on the service areas page.