Where Mead sits to the north-east
Mead lies about 16 kilometers north-east of the reference point. Colbert is its closest neighbor in the plan, about seven kilometers away, and the city ZIP 99217 is about seven and a half kilometers off. Those distances put Mead on the same route as the north-eastern city areas, so a crew working there often passes close by.
The research gives Mead the ZIP 99021 and places it in Spokane County. The site has nothing more specific about its streets, its ground or its housing, and this page adds nothing to that. A cross street from the caller tells the crew more about the first visit than any label on this page.
Snowmelt, rain and the flood types the county records
The Spokane County Flood Insurance Study names spring snowmelt and winter rain-on-snow as the two main flood types for the county. Both reach the lowest entries of a house first, and in Mead that means a basement wall, a garage slab or a low side entry, wherever the house sits lowest.
The county's hazard mitigation plan lists flood declarations in 1956 and 1957, and the February 1996 flood affected Spokane County among 24 Washington counties. A house that has taken water once should keep its water history, because the record shows that high water comes back.
A visit to a Mead house
The technician checks the lowest entry, the floor drain, the sump if there is one, the window wells and the joint between the floor and the wall. Each is recorded on the survey as a possible route for water.
The electrical panel and any appliance in standing water are dealt with first. Readings are taken at several heights on the wall, on the floor and in the framing, and the drying plan is set from them. The crew explains whether the damage is local or spread across the lower level.
Insurance and the record for a Mead call
Photograph the water line, the entry point and any stored items before anything is moved. Keep the damaged items until the insurer has seen them, unless they are a health hazard. The crew gives a written record of the water, the readings and the removals.
The Washington Office of the Insurance Commissioner handles consumer complaints about claims. The insurer and the policy decide what is covered, and the crew's record is there so the review starts from what the crew found.
