Cleanup and drying for properties that take water from a canal, a lock or a dam during a flood.
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Canal lock and dam flood damage is water that reaches a property when a canal, a lock or a dam overflows, fails or is blocked by debris. In Schenectady, the 2011 flood showed that aging canal dams could not always be raised in time. Schenectady Water Damage Restoration connects callers with a local crew serving Schenectady County, and phones are answered 24/7.
A canal is not a river, and the water that comes from one is controlled by structures that people operate. Locks hold back and release water, dams hold a level, and gates and debris racks decide what gets through. When those structures are under strain, the water can rise quickly in places that a river flood would not reach, and the damage can have a different cause from the one a homeowner expects.
The August 2011 flood from Hurricane Irene is the local case. A New York State Canal Corporation finding from that year reported that aging canal dams could not be raised at several locks, and that debris blocked locks and dams. A regional newspaper report described emergency repairs to the Lock 7 dam on the Mohawk after a leak. Those events were not on the same property, but they show why water near the canal needs its own cleanup plan.
Schenectady Water Damage Restoration sends a local crew to a canal-related water loss in Schenectady County as fast as one is available, and phones are answered 24/7. The first call focuses on where the water is coming from, whether it is still rising, and which rooms are wet, so the crew can plan the route in and the work that follows.
Do not enter a flooded cellar, a lock area or a dam structure, and do not walk on a canal bank during high water. Do not open a gate, move debris from a structure or try to adjust water levels. Keep power off to wet areas and do not touch the electrical panel if it is wet. If you see a structure that appears to be moving, leaking or failing, leave the area and report it to the local emergency services.
When a canal rises above its banks or cannot pass the water it receives, low ground nearby can take the overflow. The water often comes in slowly, and it may stand in the yard and along the foundation for a long time. The crew checks the foundation and the cellar for seepage, and it treats the water as sediment-laden until it has been looked at.
A failed gate or a debris blockage can send a surge of water toward properties below it. This kind of loss is usually sudden and wide. The crew is careful about the structure first, because a flood surge can undermine steps, footings and walls. The records of the event are kept, because the cause of the loss matters to the insurer.
Water that soaks through a foundation wall or a floor after the surface water has gone can continue for days or weeks. This is a slower loss than a surge, and it often shows as a line on the wall or a damp patch in the corner. The crew sets readings in the wall and the slab to decide whether the seepage has stopped.
Debris can block a window well or a floor drain and push water into the house that would otherwise have drained away. Clearing the drains and the wells is part of the cleanup, and the crew notes where the blockage was, so the owner can keep it clear before the next high-water event.
A crew is dispatched as fast as one is available, and you approve the estimate before any work starts.
Keep away from moving water and from the banks, switch off power to any flooded area at the breaker only if the panel is dry, and photograph the water line and the damage. Call the crew with the source of the water, whether it is still rising and the rooms affected.
Canal banks, locks and dams can be unstable during high water, and water moves faster than it looks. Stay off the banks and off any structure that is wet or under strain, and keep children and pets away from the water. A property near a lock or dam is not a safe place to walk through once the water is up.
Photograph the water line on the house and the fence, the debris, the yard and the cellar. Note the time the water was first seen and the time it began to fall. Those details help the crew plan the work and help the insurer understand how the water arrived.
Water from outside the house, including water from a canal, a lock or a dam, is often handled under a separate flood policy or endorsement. A standard homeowner policy may exclude it. Your policy and your insurer decide what is covered, and this page describes only the general pattern.
Policies differ in how they treat water that rises from the ground or from a waterway. Some treat surface water and overflow separately from water that enters through a sewer or a drain. The wording of your own policy is what matters, so read the exclusions and the endorsements before you assume a claim will be paid.
Keep the records that show the source of the water, the time it arrived and what it did. Photographs, readings, the scope and the invoices are the core of that file. Ask the insurer to explain in writing any part of the policy you do not understand. The New York State Department of Financial Services is the state regulator for insurers if a dispute cannot be settled with the company.
The depth and duration of the water, the number of floors and rooms reached, the silt and debris left behind and the age of the foundation all shape the work. The price for each stage is explained and approved before it starts. No figure is given on this page.
A property that took water for a few hours is a different job from one that held water for days. Silt that has to be removed from a cellar floor takes more labor than a clean-water spill, and seepage through a foundation wall adds readings and a check of the wall. Access matters as well, because debris can block stairs and window wells.
Older foundations and older wall materials hold moisture differently from new ones, and that changes the readings and the removal decisions. Each factor is named on the first visit and written into the scope, so you know what each stage involves before the crew starts it.
Debris carries silt, sewage, fuel and chemicals into a property, and it can block the drains that would otherwise carry water away. It also hides structural damage. A cleanup that leaves debris in place can trap moisture against the foundation and in the crawl space.
Branches, mud and small objects that wash against a house can cover the window wells, the floor drains and the outdoor grade. Water then has nowhere to go, and it finds the path of least resistance into the cellar. Clearing that debris is part of the job, and the crew does it before it dries the building.
Debris also tells the crew where the water went. A line of silt on a fence or a wall shows how high the water rose, and the pattern on the ground shows where it flowed. The crew records both, because the high-water mark is part of the record for the insurer.
After the water recedes, check the foundation for new cracks or seepage, the steps and the stairs for movement, the furnace and the electrical panel for water damage, and the drains and window wells for blockage. The crew can check these with you during the cleanup.
Foundation walls that held water on one side may show new cracks or a damp line that appears days later. Stairs and steps can shift if the soil under them was saturated. Those signs are reasons to call a qualified contractor for the structure, separate from the drying work.
Gas and electrical equipment that was under water should be checked by the right professional before it is used again. The crew will tell you when the rest of the house has been dried and cleared. Those checks belong with the claim file as well as with the repair.
The technician asks where the water entered and whether the level is still changing. If the source is still active, the crew cannot clean until the water stops or the level is controlled by the right people. The crew records the time it was first seen and the high-water mark.
The foundation, the stairs, the power and any gas appliance are checked before people enter the wet areas. Debris and silt can hide holes, loose steps and wiring. The crew tells you which parts of the property to avoid until it has finished its check.
Standing water is pumped out, and debris is cleared from the floor, the drains and the window wells. Silt is removed the same way as river silt, because water from a canal carries sediment and can carry contaminants from the ground it crossed.
Walls, floors, cabinets and stored items are read with moisture meters and visually checked for silt lines. Materials that cannot be dried to a safe level are removed, and the removal is explained and recorded before it happens.
Air movers and dehumidifiers are set and readings are taken in the floor, the walls and the framing. The crew records the readings and the dry-standard target, and it gives you a file of photographs, readings and the scope for your records and for any insurance claim.
In the 2011 flood, a New York State Canal Corporation finding reported that aging canal dams could not be raised at several locks, and that debris blocked locks and dams. A property below a structure like that takes water on a different schedule from a property near the river, so its cleanup starts from a different place.
The regional newspaper report on the 2011 flood described emergency repairs to the Lock 7 dam on the Mohawk after a leak. Repairs to a dam are a matter for the agency that operates it. For a homeowner, the lesson is that high water near a structure can be followed by a second wave of problems, and the crew checks for seepage and for debris after the first surge has passed.
A crew plans each property on its own ground. A cellar near a low spot, a yard that drains toward the foundation and a window well that collects silt all change the work. The crew names those features on the first visit, so the owner knows what the job is addressing.
Not sure if you're covered? Check your ZIP code.
Clearing river floodwater from a Schenectady home, then drying the structure before any repair.
Pumping standing water out of a Schenectady home or cellar before drying can begin.
Moisture readings in cellars and crawl spaces after water events, before floors and walls are closed back up.
Cleanup and drying when a sump pump stops or a backwater valve fails and a cellar floods.
In the 2011 flood, aging canal dams could not be raised at several locks, and debris blocked locks and dams, according to a New York State Canal Corporation finding.
The agency or company that operates the structure is responsible for it, not the property owner. A cleanup crew does not repair the structure. If you believe a lock or dam is failing, report it to the local emergency services and to the operating agency.
That depends on your policy. Water from outside the house is often handled under a separate flood policy or endorsement, and a standard homeowner policy may exclude it. Read the policy, ask the insurer directly and keep your records. This page does not state coverage limits or deadlines.
The crew clears debris that is blocking drains, window wells and the path of water into the house. Clearing wider debris from the yard or the grounds is a separate job, and the crew will tell you what it can and cannot do as part of the cleanup.
The crew takes readings in the wall and the slab over several visits and compares them. Seepage that has stopped shows readings that stay at or near the dry standard. A reading that climbs again is a sign to check the foundation and the grade outside.
No. The statewide flood totals for 2011 describe the whole state. They are not a figure for your property or for Schenectady County, and this page does not use them as one.
Keep photographs of the water line and the damage, notes of when the water came and went, the crew's readings, the scope, the removal list and every invoice. Those records show the source and extent of the loss to your insurer, and they help any later repair contractor understand what was done.