Terms are grouped loosely from the first hours of cleanup through drying, insurance and drainage. Definitions are general; a contract, policy or local code may define a word more precisely, and that definition is the one that controls.
Terms you may hear
- Overland flooding
- Surface water flowing across the ground from rain or runoff, as opposed to water rising from a creek or coming from a pipe.
- Flash flood
- Flooding that develops within minutes to a few hours of intense rain, common with summer thunderstorms.
- Category 3 water
- The most contaminated water class in restoration practice. Includes sewage and floodwater from outside the building.
- Silt line
- The mark left on walls and objects at the highest level floodwater reached.
- Extraction
- Removing standing water with pumps or vacuum equipment before drying begins.
- Flood cut
- A horizontal cut through drywall above the water line so the wet lower section can be removed and the cavity cleaned.
- Wicking
- Water moving upward through porous materials like drywall, above the level of standing water.
- Dry standard
- A moisture reading taken from an unaffected material in the same building, used as the target for drying.
- Moisture mapping
- Recording moisture readings at marked points on a floor plan to show where materials are wet and track drying.
- Air mover
- A high-velocity fan aimed across wet surfaces to speed evaporation.
- Low-grain refrigerant dehumidifier
- A dehumidifier designed to keep removing moisture even as the air gets drier, common in professional drying.
- Containment
- Plastic sheeting and sometimes negative air pressure used to separate a work area from the rest of the building.
- Pack-out
- Removing contents from a damaged home for cleaning, storage or inventory.
- NFIP
- The National Flood Insurance Program, a federal program that provides flood insurance through participating insurers and agents.
- Proof of loss
- A signed, sworn statement of the amount you are claiming under a flood policy, usually due within a set period.
- Swale
- A shallow, gently sloped channel shaped into the ground to carry runoff across or along lots.
- Detention pond
- A basin that holds storm runoff temporarily and releases it slowly to reduce downstream flooding.
- Drainage easement
- A recorded right allowing drainage across part of a lot, which can limit what an owner may build there.
- Floodplain
- Land mapped as likely to be flooded by a creek or river during a flood of a given size.
Where these words tend to appear
General information for Castle Rock, not a quote or professional advice. In an emergency, call 911.