Step 1: Shut off the water
The very first thing to do is stop more water from coming in. Find your home's main water shutoff valve, usually near the front of the house where the water line enters, and turn it clockwise until it stops. If you do not know where yours is, this is worth finding out now, before an emergency, so you are not searching for it during a flood.
If you cannot find the main shutoff or it is not working, look for a local shutoff valve near the specific fixture or pipe that burst. Every second the water runs adds to the damage, so do not skip this step even if it means getting your feet wet to reach the valve.
Step 2: Cut power to wet areas
Water and electricity are a dangerous combination. If it is safe to reach your breaker panel without stepping through standing water, turn off power to any rooms affected by the flooding. If the panel itself is in a wet area or you are not sure it is safe, skip this step and wait for a professional instead.
Never touch outlets, switches, or plugged-in appliances in a room with standing water, even if the power seems to be off elsewhere in the house.
Step 3: Protect your belongings
Once the water is stopped and it is safe to move around, focus on getting valuables and important items out of harm's way. Move furniture, electronics, and important documents to a dry room or up off the floor if you cannot move them out entirely.
Do not worry about deep cleaning or trying to dry things yourself at this stage. The goal right now is simply to stop more items from sitting in water, not to fully resolve the damage.
Step 4: Document everything
Before anything gets moved, cleaned, or thrown away, take photos and video of the damage. Capture the source of the leak if you can see it, the standing water, and any items that got wet. This documentation matters a lot for your insurance claim later.
Write down the approximate time you noticed the leak and what you believe caused it. This timeline helps support your claim and helps the restoration crew understand what they are walking into.
Step 5: Call for professional help
Once the immediate danger is handled, call a restoration company right away rather than waiting to see how bad it looks in the morning. In Edgewater's humidity, mold can begin growing in wet drywall and carpet within 24 to 48 hours, so the sooner extraction and drying start, the more of your home and belongings can be saved.
A good restoration company will answer live, ask about what happened, and dispatch a local crew right away. Ask about their response time and whether they bill your insurance directly, since that can save you from paying out of pocket and waiting for reimbursement.
What not to do
Do not use a household vacuum on standing water, since regular vacuums are not built for it and can create an electrical hazard. Do not turn on the HVAC system if it may have been affected, since this can spread moisture through the house. And do not assume a small amount of water will just dry out on its own. Florida's heat and humidity make that a risky bet.