Entry through doors and sills
Rain that comes under a door or through a worn threshold during a driving storm. The damage is concentrated at the entry and the flooring in the first room, and the drying is usually quick once the door is sealed.
Urgent? Phones answered 24/7, hurricane season included
Storm Water Damage Restoration in Orlando, FL
Drying the rooms that wind-driven rain reached through doors, windows, roof openings and garage gaps across Orlando and Orange County.
- Phones answered 24/7
- Storm flooding, slab leaks, A/C condensate
- Price confirmed on site before any work
- Drying tracked to dry-standard readings
Get a fast quote
Fastest: call (833) 490-5225. Or send this and we call you back.
Storm Damage
Storm Water Damage Restoration: what it covers
Quick answer
Storm water damage restoration dries the rooms that rain reached through openings the storm created, such as doors, windows, roof gaps and garage seals. In Orlando the summer storms and hurricane season bring this loss often, and the first step is closing the openings. Phones are answered 24/7 across Orange County.
A storm does not need to flood a house to damage it. Wind-driven rain pushes water through a gap at a door sill, behind a window that has lost its seal, under a loose shingle or into a garage through a worn bottom seal, and the water it carries lands on the floor, the carpet and the wall at the bottom of the opening. The room looks wet, and the damage behind the trim can be larger than the damage in front of it.
Orlando's storm season is long. Hurricane season runs from June 1 through November 30, and the daily summer thunderstorms of June through September bring heavy rain several afternoons a week. Hurricane Ian in September 2022 was reported by news outlets as the wettest September on record for the city, and Hurricane Milton brought a Flash Flood Warning to Orlando in October 2024.
The restoration sequence for a storm loss is the same as for any water loss: close the openings, remove the water, dry the structure against a reference and document the work. The order of the first step matters most, because a house that keeps taking rain while it is being dried cannot be dried.
- Service area
- Orlando & Orange County
- Availability
- Phones answered 24/7, hurricane season included, emergencies first
- Phone
- (833) 490-5225
Warning signs
Signs you need storm water damage restoration
Do not go onto a roof or a ladder during or after a storm to reach an opening. Stay out of standing water near the electrical panel, outlets and the garage door opener. Watch for downed lines and sagging ceilings after a storm, and report them rather than walking under them. If a window is broken, keep people and pets away from the glass. Call (833) 490-5225 for a technician once the immediate hazards are clear.
- Wet carpet or a dark stain on the floor just inside an exterior door, after a storm from one direction
- A window frame or sill that has darkened, swollen or started to peel after the storm
- Water on the garage floor that runs toward the house, or a wet strip along the bottom of the garage door
- Torn or missing screens, a bent gutter or a gap at a soffit that let rain into a room
- A wet line on the inside of the wall beneath a window, or a damp smell in one bedroom after a rain
- A ceiling stain in a room with a window on the side the storm came from
- Stored boxes or furniture near an exterior wall that are damp at the bottom after the rain
Our process
How our storm water damage restoration visit works
Close the openings
Torn screens, broken glass and open gaps are covered with a temporary cover so that more rain cannot get in. This comes first. Drying a house while it is still taking water in is not possible, and the crew will not start until the envelope is closed.
Remove the standing water
Water on the floor is pumped or vacuumed out, the carpet and pad at the entry are lifted, and the bottom of the nearest wall is checked for moisture. Water that came through a door tends to run along the baseboard and under the flooring toward the middle of the room.
Map the entry path
Moisture readings and a thermal camera trace the water from the opening into the wall cavity, the floor and any adjoining room. The entry point is recorded on the floor plan, so the insurer can see the cause.
Dry the structure
Air movers and dehumidifiers are placed for the affected rooms and the cavities behind the trim. Readings are logged each day against a dry reference from an unaffected part of the house.
Document the damage and the repair
Photographs of the storm damage, the openings, the readings and the removal list are kept. The openings themselves are repaired by the trade that owns them, such as a window installer, a door contractor or a roofer.
What should I do first after a storm leaves water inside?
Stay safe, close off the openings if you can do so without going into standing water, shut off power to any wet area you cannot reach dry, and photograph the water and the openings. Then call for help and keep a record of when each thing was done.
A temporary cover over a broken window or a torn screen stops the next rain from adding to the loss. Do not climb onto a roof during a storm or after it, and do not try to reach an opening on a ladder in wet weather.
Move furniture and stored items off the wet floor and away from exterior walls, and lift rugs. The photographs of the openings and the water are the first record the insurer will ask for.
Why does a storm loss take longer to dry than a clean leak?
Because the water came in over a long period and reached the cavities behind trim and under flooring, while the humid air outside keeps adding moisture. A storm loss also often continues until the opening is closed, so the drying has to wait for the envelope to be sealed.
The water that came through a window or a soffit can run inside a wall for a long way before it shows. A reading in the bottom plate of the wall is the most useful measure of how far it went.
In the Orlando summer the outdoor air is wet for much of the drying period, so the dehumidifier runs for the full job rather than a short one.
How do I know which part of the damage the storm caused?
The entry path does. Moisture readings and the water line show where the water came in, and the crew's notes on the openings and the storm date establish the cause for the insurer. The entry path settles most of that question.
Note the wind direction and the time of the storm if you can, and the openings you saw. Photograph the damaged screen, the gap in the soffit or the broken seal before it is repaired, because the repaired opening will not show what it looked like during the storm.
Keep any damaged parts you removed, and tell the crew which openings were already damaged before the storm. A pre-existing defect is a common question in a storm claim.
Who repairs the opening after the water is out?
The trade that owns the opening. A window installer repairs a window, a door specialist repairs a door, and a roofer handles roof openings. The restoration crew dries the room and documents the damage, and the repair is booked once the readings allow the wall to close.
Ask the repair trade to do its work after the readings are dry, so a repaired window or door is not sealed over a wet wall. A window or a door that is repaired while the cavity is still wet can trap moisture inside the wall.
The roof leak water damage page covers the roof side of a storm loss in more detail.
Does insurance pay for storm water that came through the house's openings?
It depends on the policy and on how the water entered. Rain that enters through an opening the storm created is often treated differently from rain that enters through a gap that was already there, and the insurer decides which applies.
Ask the insurer in writing which opening, and which part of the loss, is covered. Keep the photographs, the readings, the drying log and the removal list, and keep a copy of each daily sheet. Flood from outside the house is usually a separate question from rain through the envelope.
The insurance claims guide explains how to raise the questions that come up with a storm claim.
Options
Types and options for storm water damage restoration
Window and frame leaks
Water that comes around a window frame or through a failed seal, often in a room facing the storm. The cavity behind the window and the sill are the hidden part, and they dry more slowly than the room.
Garage and soffit gaps
Rain that enters through a worn garage door seal, a gap at a soffit or a vent that the wind drove water through. The garage slab and the wall between the garage and the house are the usual places the damage shows up.
Orange County
Why storm water damage restoration is different in Orange, Seminole and Osceola counties
The Orlando storm record is recent and sharp. Hurricane Ian made September 2022 the wettest on record for the city, according to news reports, and Hurricane Milton brought a Flash Flood Warning covering Orlando, Deltona and Pine Hills in October 2024. Gusts above 60 mph were reported at the Orlando-area airports during Milton, and wind is what drives rain through the openings.
Storm losses are spread across the metro. In Apopka and east and north Orange County, reported Milton flooding was heavy, and rain-driven leaks at windows and roof edges are likely to matter more there than plumbing failures (hedge).
Newer homes with HOA oversight, such as those in Hunters Creek and Alafaya, have many openings in a single unit, and a storm can find one weak seal. The check goes around the whole house, not only the room where the water showed.
One call and it gets handled.
A crew is dispatched as fast as one is available, and you approve the estimate before any work starts.
Where we work
Storm Water Damage Restoration across Orange County
- Storm Damage in College Park
- Storm Damage in Conway
- Storm Damage in Azalea Park
- Storm Damage in Orlo Vista
- Storm Damage in Winter Park
- Storm Damage in Belle Isle
- Storm Damage in Pine Hills
- Storm Damage in MetroWest
- Storm Damage in Maitland
- Storm Damage in Lockhart
- Storm Damage in Lake Nona
- Storm Damage in Gotha
- Storm Damage in Altamonte Springs
- Storm Damage in Casselberry
- Storm Damage in Clarcona
- Storm Damage in Goldenrod
- Storm Damage in Ocoee
- Storm Damage in Windermere
- Storm Damage in Meadow Woods
- Storm Damage in Hunter's Creek
- Storm Damage in Dr. Phillips
- Storm Damage in Winter Springs
- Storm Damage in Apopka
- Storm Damage in Longwood
- Storm Damage in Alafaya
- Storm Damage in Oviedo
- Storm Damage in Winter Garden
- Storm Damage in Kissimmee
- Storm Damage in Lake Mary
- Storm Damage in Oakland
Not sure if you're covered? Check your ZIP code.
Related
Related services
Roof Leak Water Damage
Tracing storm rain through damaged shingles, tile and flashing into attics and ceilings, then drying and documenting the loss in Orlando.
Flood Damage Cleanup
Removing floodwater, drying floors and walls, and checking the flood zone and local rules for homes hit by rising water in Orlando.
Water Damage Restoration
Stopping the source, removing the water, drying to a measured target and documenting it, for homes across Orlando and Orange County.
Ceiling Water Damage Repair
Dealing with sagging, stained and wet ceilings in Orlando homes and condos: safe removal, the leak above, drying and a rebuilt finish.
Guides
Read before you book
What Affects Water Damage Restoration Cost in Orlando
This guide publishes no price.
After a Hurricane or Flood in Orlando: First Steps
Hurricane and flood water in Orlando can come from rain the ground cannot absorb, lakes that rise over their banks, creeks that spill onto streets, or wind-driven rain entering a damaged roof.
Water Damage Insurance Claims in Central Florida
Water damage claims turn on how the water got in, whether the loss was sudden or gradual, and what the policy and its endorsements say.
Wet Season Storms and Roof Leaks in Orlando
Orlando's wet season runs through the summer, and its heaviest rain often arrives in short, intense storms.
FAQ
Storm Water Damage Restoration FAQs
Should I cover a broken window or a torn screen myself?
A temporary cover from inside or outside is reasonable if you can do it safely from the ground or from inside. Do not go onto a roof or a ladder in wet weather. A temporary cover stops the next rain, and the permanent repair is booked afterwards.
Why is water still coming in after the storm passed?
Because water can stay in a wall and run down later, and because the opening was not sealed. A damp wall after a rain usually means the opening is still letting water in or that the cavity has not finished draining.
How do I document storm damage for the insurer?
Photograph each opening, the water inside, the damage to the trim and walls, and the storm's date and direction if you know them. Keep the readings and the removal list, and note which openings were already damaged before the storm.
Is storm damage a restoration job or a repair job?
Both, in order. Restoration closes the water out, removes it and dries the structure. The repair then replaces the window, door or roof opening, once the readings allow the wall to close. Coordinate the two so no repair seals a wet cavity.
Can rain through a garage door cause a big loss?
It can. A worn bottom seal lets water run across the garage floor and under the wall to the house. The garage slab and the wall between the garage and the living space are the first places to check after a storm.
What if the water came from a flood instead of rain?
Then the job is a flood loss, which has its own flood zone and insurance questions. The flood damage cleanup page covers water that rose from outside the house.