Moving Belongings After a Flood: A Safety-First Guide

The rain came down all night. By morning the water in the ground-floor flat has dropped to ankle height, there is a brown line on the parlour wall just under the sockets, and the mattress is soaked through. Everyone in the compound wants to start dragging things out at once.

That urge is understandable, but this is exactly when people get hurt. Here is how to stay safe, sort what can be saved and get it somewhere dry. If you are planning a move in the rainy season and want to avoid water damage in the first place, read our guide to requesting a driver a move in the rainy season.

Safety before belongings

Nothing in that flat is worth an injury. Before anyone goes back in:

• Official advice. Follow what the local authority and emergency services say. If you have been told not to return, do not return.
• Electricity. Keep it off. If water reached the sockets, wiring or distribution board, do not touch the switches or the board yourself. Get a qualified electrician to check the property before power is restored.
• Water near cables. Never wade through water near electrical equipment, cables or fallen lines. Water can carry current, and you will not see the danger.
• The building. Cracked walls, a sagging ceiling or a floor that feels soft mean you stay out until someone qualified has checked it.
• The water itself. Assume it is contaminated. Floodwater can carry sewage and debris. Wear boots and gloves, cover any cuts and wash your hands thoroughly afterwards.
• Gas. Turn it off at the cylinder if you can reach it safely. No naked flames inside until the property has been checked.
• Generators. Never run one indoors or in an enclosed space to dry things out.

If in doubt, wait. An extra hour will not make the damage much worse.

Take photos before you clear anything

Once it is safe to enter, photograph and film every room, including the water line on the walls, before anybody moves anything. If you later need to show a landlord, an employer or anyone else what happened, those pictures matter. Write a quick list of damaged items as you go.

Sort into three groups

Work one room at a time. Mark out three areas with tape or chalk, somewhere dry if you can, and sort everything into them.

Dry and undamaged

These are the things that stayed above the water line. Move them out first, while they are still dry. Pack them in sealed plastic boxes, or wrap them in plastic, before you carry them through any wet part of the house.

Wet but possibly salvageable

Solid wood furniture that only took surface water is often fine. Metal shelving and frames, plastic and ceramic items can usually be cleaned. Important documents and photos belong in this group too: keep them separate and flat, and dry them as soon as you can.

Wet electrical items are a different story. Do not switch on the fridge, washing machine or generator to "see if it works". Have a qualified technician check each appliance first, and follow the manufacturer's guidance.

Likely unsalvageable

Mattresses, upholstered chairs, chipboard furniture, rugs and carpets, and anything that sat in dirty water for a long time are often hard to save. Food that touched floodwater goes in the bin. Do not waste space in the vehicle on things you will throw away at the other end.

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Moving salvageable items

Tell the driver honestly that some of the load is wet. It changes how they protect the vehicle and load, and they will find out at the pickup anyway.

Inside the vehicle, keep wet and dry items apart. Damp things pass moisture and smell to everything around them. Lay tarpaulin or plastic sheeting on the floor before the wet items go in.

Plastic wrap is only a short-term barrier for dry things. Wet items sealed in it cannot dry out.

Wet wood swells and weakens. Lift wet furniture from the frame, never by the legs or drawers, and stack nothing on top of it. Documents travel flat, in their own box, on your lap or the passenger seat if possible.

Timing the move

1. Wait out heavy rain, and do not move while water is still rising in the area.
2. Check the route. Flooded roads are often impassable or unsafe. Wait for them to clear. Asking a driver to push through floodwater puts the driver, the vehicle and your load at risk.
3. Move the dry items first, as soon as it is safe, before damp gets to them.
4. Take wet salvageable items to a dry space where they can be spread out to air.
5. Leave bulky unsalvageable items for a separate disposal trip.

How to do this on Sphere

1. Open the Sphere app once it is safe to enter the property and the roads are clear.
2. Choose a pickup van for one room or a small shop, or a truck for a larger home or store.
3. Describe the load clearly in your request, including which items are wet.
4. Propose your price. Nearby verified drivers accept it or send a counter-offer, and you choose. Agree loading and offloading help with the driver before you accept an offer.

Sphere works in Lagos, Abuja and Ibadan. If you are moving out of a flooded home in Lagos for good, see our house moving page.