Water Sources
Why Annapolis Basements Flood, Source by Source
5 water sources reach Annapolis basements, and each one changes who you call first.
Why a basement floods in Annapolis traces to the water source. These pages follow 5: rain or tide, a sump pump, a water heater, seepage, or a pipe. You name the source on the call, because it sets the water category and the insurance question.
Your restoration company handles the extraction and drying for each source. Stopping the source can belong to another trade, such as a plumber for a split pipe.
5 Water Sources With Their Own Page
Each page follows one source, from the first decision to the drying record your restoration company keeps.
Who to Call First by Water Source
Who to call for a flooded basement depends on what the water is doing and what it touches. You work from these 8 situations:
- Basement flooding after heavy rain: call a restoration company first, and US EPA says to contact your insurer and take pictures before cleanup.
- Sump pump failure flooding: call a restoration company for the water, and ask another trade about the pump.
- Water heater leak in the basement: call a Maryland-licensed plumber for the tank, then a restoration company for the carpet and walls.
- Foundation seepage: call a restoration company for the wet materials, and leave crack repair to another trade.
- Basement pipe burst: call a licensed plumber for the pipe, then a restoration company for extraction and drying.
- Water rising through a floor drain: report it to City of Annapolis Public Works at a City address. The City clears the main, and your plumber clears the line to the cleanout.
- Gas smell near the water: BGE takes gas odor calls at (877) 778-7798, and US CDC says to leave the house.
- Main power switch in standing water: US CDC says to call an electrician instead of entering the water.
What Maryland Records Say About Basement Flooding Causes
The Maryland Geological Survey points to foundation treatment, landscaping, and grading, not rising groundwater, for the majority of wet basements. Annapolis sits on the Maryland Coastal Plain, where the survey says the water table varies by depth and season.
The City of Annapolis names March to September as its peak flood period, and it says floods can happen in any month. Your restoration company records where the water entered your basement, so the trade that fixes the entry point has a starting place.
Annapolis Storm and Tide Records
A flash flood on June 27, 2006 put a foot of water in an Annapolis basement, per the Storm Events Database. On September 10, 2015, over 3 inches of rain flooded Ridgely Avenue near Melvin Avenue in West Annapolis.
The January 9 to 10, 2024 tide crested at 5.1 feet above mean lower low water, the third highest on record at Annapolis. You compare your own street with these records when you talk with your restoration company.
Why the Source Changes Your Insurance Question
The source changes your insurance question because federal flood wording and homeowners wording treat water differently. The federal flood policy defines flood as general and temporary inundation of 2 or more acres of ordinarily dry land or 2 or more properties. A pipe or water heater leak is not flood in insurance terms, and Triple-I says the HO-3 covers accidental discharge from a plumbing system.
Triple-I says the HO-3 excludes water seepage. New federal flood coverage starts after a 30-day period under 42 U.S. Code 4013, with exceptions for loan-related purchases and map revisions.
Your agent answers for your policy, and flooded basement insurance questions lists what to raise with that agent. Your restoration company documents the water source for your file.
Tell your restoration company which source you suspect and what the water has touched when you call.
(410) 755-8694The facts on this page come from 17 public documents, among them records from NOAA, US EPA, and Maryland General Assembly. The basement facts and their sources page lists each one with its check date.
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