Emergency
Storm Surge & Tidal Flooding Tampa, 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.
Wet days later? That is worth a call
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
Why have the stucco buildings on Davis Islands been repainted so many times?
The National Register study of Davis Islands notes that most of its Mediterranean Revival buildings have been repainted a number of times because of Tampa's hot, damp climate. Most are hollow clay tile under stucco or brick veneer, and the finish is what keeps rain out of the tile. Peeling or blistered paint is worth reading as water reaching the wall, not only as wear.
Does a West Tampa bungalow on brick piers have a damp floor problem?
It can. West Tampa's historic houses are mostly wood frame rowhouses and bungalows resting on low brick piers. A low pier leaves only a shallow space under the floor, so cooled floorboards sit close to damp ground in air that barely moves. Keeping any openings in the skirting clear, and checking that the ground beneath stays dry after rain, gives the joists their best chance.
Why does water stand in some Tampa streets when heavy rain comes at high tide?
About 563 of the city's storm drain outfalls empty into tidal water. When a heavy rain arrives while the tide is high, those outfalls can sit underwater and the drains behind them fill, so rain spreads across the lowest streets near the bay and the river until the tide drops. Garages, doorways and slabs at street level are the first places it reaches.
Tampa's own page carries them beside the local figures.