What to do after water damage in Wilmington
Plain answers for Wilmington homes, drawn from the data behind the area's water damage calls.
Paid flood insurance claims in Wilmington's ZIP codes averaged $26,731 for the building from 2016 to 2025.
- Calls answered 24/7
- Written estimate before work starts
- Water removal, drying and repair
Your call, step by step
Call (833) 728-2327
Say what is wet, where the water came from and whether it is still running. The call is answered any hour.
Stop the source
If water is still coming in, you are walked through the shutoff valve or the breaker first.
Inspection and written estimate
The crew checks the water category, measures moisture in walls and floors, photographs the damage and writes the estimate before work starts.
Written for homeowners in the Wilmington area.
About 53% of households in Wilmington rent. The building is usually the owner's to repair, so a tenant should tell the landlord about a leak right away.
First, in Wilmington
Hurricanes set Wilmington apart. FEMA's National Risk Index puts yearly hurricane loss at $297 per $100,000 of building value here, against $50 for North Carolina as a whole. So the first hour after water damage may come after a storm, with water entering through the roof, windows or ground floor. Stay out of standing water that touches outlets, and switch off the main breaker only if you can reach it from dry ground. If a pipe or appliance is leaking, shut the fixture valve or the main.
Next, photograph the water line on the walls, the source and every damaged item before cleanup. Then lift furniture, papers and electronics off the floor and move them to a dry room. In Wilmington, also photograph the outside of the house and the street.
Speed matters in a humid coastal city. Water wicks up drywall and soaks the subfloor, and the EPA advises drying wet materials within 24 to 48 hours. Census figures show 53% of Wilmington homes are rented and 32% are in buildings with 5 or more units. So tenants should report the leak to the landlord in writing right away. FEMA's records show 14.7% of New Hanover County homes carry federal flood insurance, which matters because homeowners and renters policies usually exclude flood water. Flood damage restoration can start once the source is stopped and the damage is on record anywhere in the Wilmington area.
The first-hour checklist
Start at the top and stop at anything unsafe.
- Shut off the water at the main valve or the fixture valve.
- Turn off power to wet rooms at the breaker if you can reach it without stepping in water.
- Photograph every wet room, the source and the water line.
- Lift furniture off wet carpet and move papers, photos and electronics to a dry room.
- Call (833) 728-2327 for extraction and drying, and tell your insurer.
- Keep people and pets away from sewage or floodwater.
Local figures for Wilmington homes
Wilmington figures: about 118,578 residents in the city, by the Census.
In Wilmington, 32% of homes are apartments or condos in buildings of five units or more.
Federal flood insurance claims in Wilmington's ZIP codes came to 10.5 per 1,000 homes from 2016 to 2025, against 19.2 across New Hanover County.
- 61,188 Housing units
- 118,578 Residents
- 53% Homes that are rentedNew Hanover County: 39%
- 32% Homes in buildings with 5 or more unitsNew Hanover County: 23%
- 10.5 Flood insurance claims per 1,000 homes, 2016 to 2025New Hanover County: 19.2
- 38% Homes built before 1980New Hanover County: 31%
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2019-2023 5-year estimates; FEMA OpenFEMA, FIMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, claims from 2016 to 2025 (not endorsed by FEMA); FEMA OpenFEMA, NFIP Residential Penetration Rates v1 (not endorsed by FEMA); FEMA National Risk Index v1.20, December 2025 (not endorsed by FEMA); NOAA NCEI, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020, nearest weather station; FEMA OpenFEMA, Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 (not endorsed by FEMA); NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 2016 to 2025.
Wilmington specifics
Water damage in Wilmington comes from storms, old houses and shared walls. Storms come first. FEMA has made 10 major disaster declarations for floods and storms in New Hanover County since 2000. NOAA climate normals show 19 days a year with an inch of rain or more, against 14 for the state. Ground-floor units and low-lying older homes take outside water first. Check whether your policy is a homeowners policy, a flood policy or both, because the answer decides which claim to open.
Age is next. Census figures show 15% of homes in the city were built before 1950, against 9% for the county. In those houses the main shutoff may be in a crawl space or at the street. Old supply lines and drain stacks can fail at joints. Find your shutoff before hurricane season, and keep a flashlight near the crawl space door.
Shared walls matter too. With 53% of homes rented and 32% in buildings of 5 or more units, a leak upstairs often becomes a ceiling stain downstairs. Tell the manager and the neighbor above, then photograph your ceiling. Freezing is rare, with 39 nights a year at or below 32 degrees. Still, a pipe in a crawl space can split on a hard night. FEMA flood insurance records put the county's average building payment at $27,235. Calls for water removal in Leland start with the same photos, and storm cleanup for water removal in Carolina Beach follows the same order.
What not to do in the first hours
Do not walk into standing water near outlets, extension cords or appliances that are still plugged in. Do not turn on ceiling lights or fans under a wet or sagging ceiling, and keep people out from under it. Do not use a household vacuum on standing water. Do not crank the heat to dry the house: warm, wet air spreads moisture into dry rooms and helps mold start. Do not throw out damaged carpet, furniture or boxes before they are photographed and listed. And do not paint over a stain or close up a wet wall; it has to be measured dry first. Carpet soaked by clean water can often be saved by wet carpet drying if extraction starts early.
What Wilmington callers ask first
Should I run fans to dry water damage myself in Wilmington?
Is it safe to turn the power back on after water damage?
Where is the main water shutoff in a Wilmington house?
How long can water sit before mold starts in a Wilmington home?
Can I stay in my Wilmington home during water damage drying?
Keep reading about Wilmington
Wilmington water damage cost guide
Price ranges, cost drivers and estimate checks for Wilmington homes.
Wilmington guide to insurance and water damage
Which kinds of water damage insurance usually pays for in Wilmington, and how to document a claim.
the Wilmington guide to flood and storm water risk
Flood risk, flood insurance claims and storm water in Wilmington, from FEMA and NOAA figures.
the Wilmington guide to burst and frozen pipes
Why pipes burst in Wilmington homes, what freezing nights and older plumbing mean, and what to do first.
Water damage in Wilmington? Call (833) 728-2327
Answered 24/7, with a written estimate before any work starts.