Emergency
Storm Surge & Tidal Flooding Oldsmar, FL
Surge and tidal water rise from the ground up and carry salt and silt with them. Anything porous they soaked is treated as contaminated. Outside water that rose into the building is treated as contaminated, and porous material it reached is removed. Salt left behind in materials keeps pulling water from the air, so it is cleaned out with the rest.
Shut off the water, then pick up the phone
Often needed alongside
- Emergency Water Extraction
Standing water removed before it soaks into slab, block and flooring - the first step after any failure, and the one humid air makes urgent.
- Wind-Driven Rain Intrusion
Wind pushes rain sideways through window frames, stucco and the base of the wall. The roof can hold and the house still take water.
- Sewer & Septic Backflow Cleanup
Heavy rain and a high water table can push sewage back through the lowest drain in the building. Clear or murky, it is handled as sewage.
Frequently asked questions
How well does the ground under an Oldsmar slab drain?
Slowly, in most of the city. Oldsmar's conservation data lists four soil associations, one named for the city itself, and describes nearly level sands that are mostly poorly or very poorly drained, some with a layer weakly cemented by organic matter within 40 inches of the surface. Summer rain held above that layer stays against a slab's edge, so the base of an outside wall is the first place to check.
Where does runoff go from the streets beside Mobbly Bayou?
Into the bayou, an area of channels and tidal saltwater marshes north of Mobbly Bay. The sub-basins on its northeast side generally have no stormwater ponds, so runoff travels through shallow ditches and through culverts under the roads that the tide reaches.
Are there homes in Oldsmar with septic systems above ground?
Yes. The city's 2023 background report counts 48 homes in the southeastern part of the city, on one-acre estate lots, that use above-ground sand filter septic tanks. Their raised sand beds take the summer's rain along with each household's water, so after a stormy July a slow tub or toilet in one of those homes is worth tracing back to the bed outside.
For the figures behind these answers, see Oldsmar.