Removal, cleanup and drying for Spokane homes and businesses flooded by high water on the Spokane River and its tributaries.
Fastest: call (833) 490-5225. Or send this and we call you back.
Spokane River flood damage is water that comes up from the river or from its creeks into basements, lower floors and ground-level rooms during high water. The National Weather Service records crests of 28.73 feet in January 1974 and 25.50 feet in 2023 at the Spokane gage. Calls are answered 24/7.
The Spokane River runs through the city, and high water on it reaches the ground around it as well as the banks. When the river is well above normal, water moves into low streets, lower levels and any building whose floor sits near the level of the flood. Damage often comes from water that backs up through the ground and drains, rather than from water that pours over a bank.
The National Weather Service hydrograph for the Spokane gage lists a historic crest of 28.73 feet in January 1974 and a 2023 crest of 25.50 feet, which the service gives as preliminary. Those figures are a reason to take river water seriously even for a house that has not flooded before. To book a crew after river high water, call (833) 490-5225. The line is answered at any hour, and a local technician is sent as soon as one is free.
Do not enter a flooded lower level, a flooded garage or a flooded street on foot or in a vehicle. The water may be deeper, faster or carrying debris that is not visible. Keep away from electrical equipment in or near the water, and do not run a generator inside or in an attached garage. Wear protective gloves and boots, wash after contact with river water and keep children and pets out of the cleanup area.
Before anyone enters a flooded lower level, the technician confirms the power status and checks the water for signs of contamination. River water often carries silt and debris, so the crew plans the protective equipment and the removal around that.
Water is pumped or vacuumed out, starting at the lowest point and moving toward the exit. Where water is still moving through a floor drain or ground joint, the crew notes it, because it can return after the visit.
Silt, debris and the materials that cannot be dried are taken out. Carpet pad, stored boxes and soaked insulation are common removals after river water, and each one is listed for the insurer.
Concrete, block and framing are cleaned before drying, and the floor drain is checked to make sure it is not holding silt. A clogged drain is recorded and left for a plumber.
The lower structure is dried against meter readings, and the water level is recorded on the walls, which gives the insurer and the repair crew a clear picture of how high the water reached.
The record includes a December 1933 flood with about 47,800 cubic feet per second of water-surface data and a May 1894 flood described as the highest on record since gaging began. Recent crests include 28.73 feet in January 1974 and 25.50 feet in 2023. Any home in the flood-prone reach should plan for high water.
The Spokane County Flood Insurance Study names the December 1933 flood as the largest with water-surface data, and gives a May 1894 flood as the highest on record since gaging began. Those are the outer limits of the record, and they show that the river has reached very high levels in the past. The 1974 and 2023 crests are closer to living memory and are easier to picture on a street you know.
A crest figure tells you how high the river got at the gage, not how high it will get at your house. The ground, the drains, the grading and the floor level decide what reaches the building. Two homes a block apart can have very different damage from the same river rise.
In March 2017 the mayor of Spokane declared a flooding emergency as the Spokane River approached near-record levels in the city reach. The declaration came at a time when snowmelt and rain had already closed many roads across Spokane County in February of that year.
A flooding emergency declaration means the river is high enough to change how the city responds, and it is a reason for homeowners in low ground to check their lower levels early. The declaration does not describe each house, and the damage in any one building depends on its floor level and its drains.
The February 2017 snowmelt and rain that preceded it also closed roads and affected basements. A Colbert resident's basement took water in February 2017, and the Hangman and Latah gauge at Spokane recorded a crest of 11.6 feet on February 17, 2017. Those events show the river and the creeks rising together in the same winter.
The depth of the water, how many floors and rooms it reached, how much silt came in, which materials must be removed, and how long the drying runs all change the work. The price is explained and approved on site before any equipment runs.
A river rise that reaches only a basement drain and a few inches of the floor takes less work than one that runs up the walls of the lower level, through the ground floor and into a garage. Silt adds cleaning time, and the removal of wet materials adds sorting time that the crew plans on the first visit.
The duration of the high water also matters. A river that stays high for days keeps the lower structure wet and the drying runs longer. The crew records the water level and the time it stayed, and the quote follows that record rather than a general figure.
Keep away from standing water near outlets and the panel, switch off the power to the lower level if it can be done safely, and move valuables above the water line. Photograph the water level on the walls before anything is moved, and call for water removal.
River water can carry silt and debris, so do not wade through it, and wear boots and gloves if you must move items. If the water is above the first step of the stair, stay out of the lower level and wait for the crew, the utility or an electrician.
Keep a record of when you first noticed the water and where it came in. Photographs of the water line on the walls, the drain and the lowest point of the floor are the most useful things for the insurer, and they help the crew plan the work.
It can, if the water still has the same route into the building. The cleanup removes the water that is in now, but the drains, the grading, the window wells and the foundation determine how the next rise reaches the house. The crew records the water path for a contractor to review.
A house on a low site can flood each time the river rises, because the ground around it saturates first. Raising the lowest floor, improving the drainage and sealing the openings are work for a qualified contractor, and the choice depends on your home and your site.
The Spokane County hazard mitigation plan describes flood declarations in 1956 and 1957, and the February 1996 flood reached the county too. Repeated declarations are a sign that a property in the floodplain may need to plan for the next event as well as the last one.
When the river is high, the drains and sewers that run toward it can fill and push water back up into a lower floor. The water is not from a pipe in the house, and it arrives in the lowest place first. The crew checks the drain, removes the water and notes the time it was seen, because a river rise can last for days.
Homes built near the level of the river or the creeks can take water across the ground floor and into the living space. The damage here is wider than the basement, and the drying covers the framing up to the water line. The crew measures that line on the walls so the insurer sees how high it reached.
A shop or office on a low floor can take river water across its stock, fixtures and flooring. The work is planned around the business's need to reopen, and the crew explains which materials must come out and which can be dried in place.
Some river damage appears after the water has dropped. Silt dries into a crust, a floor starts to cup, or a smell builds in a closed room. A visit at that point reads the moisture inside the framing and the cavities, and the readings show whether drying is still needed.
The Spokane River shapes the city's flood risk more than any other single feature. The National Weather Service hydrograph for the Spokane gage tracks the river at the city reach, and the Spokane County Flood Insurance Study names the largest recorded floods on the river.
Hangman Creek and Latah Creek are a second source of high water in the Spokane area. A National Weather Service bulletin of February 24, 2025 put the Hangman and Latah gauge at 12.7 feet in the prior 24 hours, against a flood stage of 11.0 feet, with warnings for homes in the Hangman Valley. Creek flooding can come with a river rise or on its own, so a lower level should be checked after either.
The 1974 flood in Peaceful Valley mainly caused basement and street flooding, according to the Spokane County Flood Insurance Study. That is the local pattern a river crew expects: water in the basement first, then at the street and the lowest entries, and the cleanup planned to match.
Tell us what's happening and we'll tell you honestly whether it's a quick fix, and what spokane river flood damage should cost.
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Restoration for Spokane properties that have flooded before, with a written record of each water event for the next repair.
Water removal and drying for Spokane basements and garages that take on snowmelt and spring runoff.
Water removal and drying for homes along the lower Spokane River, where the flow depends on what Coeur d'Alene Lake releases.
Drying, removal of wet materials and a clear check for mold after water damage in Spokane homes and basements.
A river crest is the highest water level a gage records during a rise.
Spokane County's hazard mitigation plan lists flood declarations in 1956 and 1957, and the February 1996 flood reached the county among 24 Washington counties.
Standard policies generally treat flooding from rising rivers differently from sudden water inside the home, so the answer depends on the policy and on the source. Ask your insurer directly, and keep the records the crew gives you. The Washington Office of the Insurance Commissioner handles consumer complaints about claims.
River water usually rises from the drain, the ground or the lowest entry, and it leaves a silt line on the walls. A pipe or appliance leak usually starts at a fixture and is clean. The crew checks both possibilities on the first visit and notes which one matches the evidence.
If the water is near outlets, the panel or appliances, and it can be done without standing in the water, switch off the power at the panel. If you cannot reach the panel safely, call the utility or an electrician and wait for them.
The line shows how high the water reached, and it tells the crew which materials must come out and which can stay. It also gives the insurer a clear record of the event, which is why the crew photographs it before any cleaning.
Yes. Commercial ground floors near the river are cleaned and dried in the same way, with the work planned around the business's need to reopen. The crew explains what must come out and what can be dried in place before any removal starts.
Expect the cleanup to continue for some days while the drying equipment runs and the readings are logged. Silt can dry into a crust and a smell can develop in a closed room, so ventilate once the crew has finished and keep the readings for your repair contractor.