Flood damage to buildings, Step 2: How to Turn OFF Electricity at a Wet or Flooded Building.

Here we provide a safety checklist to follow before even attempting to turn off the electricity. Once safe to do so, we discuss where and how to turn off the power to the building.

If your building has been flooded, this article series gives an easy to understand guide for flood damage assessment, setting priorities of action, protecting the building from further damage, and then cleaning up a wet or flooded basement or building and restoring its electricity, heat, plumbing to working condition, then restoring and rebuilding the damaged building areas and flood proofing it against a future problem.

We describe disaster repair safety, and we provide special information about avoiding or minimizing mold damage. Adapted and expanded from Repairing your Flooded Home, American Red Cross & FEMA & from additional expert sources. [1] NOTICE: neither the ARC nor FEMA have yet approved the additions & expansions we have made to the original document.

How to Turn Off Electrical Power at a Building that has been Wet or Flooded

The presence of electricity at a wet or flooded building creates a high risk of death by fatal electric shock. In order to reduce that risk and stay safe, there are a number of necessary steps to follow in the proper order to turn the electricity off.

Photo: a bank of electric meters, one meter (at left) removed, and below each meter, a main electrical switch panel at a building in Oaxaca, Mexico.

Before even attempting to turn off electrical power, review this

Safety Checklist after Flooding

• Wait for the water to go down
  
  before attempting to inspect or enter a building
• Report downed power lines and stay away
  
  from them as well as from any buildings, trees, vehicles, etc. that such line may be touching
• Report gas leaks and do not enter
  
  and stay well away from any building where there is odor or other evidence of a gas leak
• Check for evidence of structural damage
  
  such as collapsing roofs, walls, ceilings, foundations
• Turn off electricity
  
  to the building - details below in this article
  
  Do not touch electrical equipment if it is wet or if you are standing in water. If it is safe to do so, turn off electricity at the main breaker or fuse box to prevent electric shock.
• Turn off gas or fuel supply
  
  to the building - details below in this article
  
  

Should I turn off Electricity or Gas first?

Normally you can turn off either gas or electric first - whichever is more accessible. For example: there may be an outdoor gas shutoff and you might have to go indoors to get to the main electrical switch in an indoor panel - in that case, turn off the gas first. 

But

Watch out: if you smell gas or for any other reason you think there has been a gas leak, do not turn ANY electrical devices or switches on or off. A spark from a switch could cause an explosion. 

If you can safely turn off the gas supply do that immediately, then when the building has had time to be ventilated so that there is no accumulated gas, it should be safe to turn off electricity.

If not, go to a safe, distant location (some cellphones might also create an igniting spark), and call for emergency services to turn off the utilities. 

Watch out: if you are on wet ground or have to go through water, if your home is flooded, or if any electrical component is wet, do not touch any electrical switches or panels. If you do, you risk death by fatal electric shock. Call an electrician.

 

When it is Safe to Do So, Turn Off Gas or Fuel Supply

There is a valve next to the gas meter. If the valve handle is parallel to the pipe, the gas is on. You may need a pair of pliers or a wrench to turn the valve. Turn it 90 degrees (a quarter turn) so the handle is perpendicular to the pipe to shut the gas off.

Turn off the fuel valve at the tank and be sure to follow the instructions in Step 5: Restore Utilities After Flooding (cited below in this article) before you turn the fuel back on.

See more specifics for turning off the fuel supply at

TURN OFF ELECTRICAL POWER & FUEL FOR OIL OR GAS HEATING EQUIPMENT

 

When it is Safe to Do So, Turn Off Electrical Power

Above: an outdoor electric meter and (behind the hinged cover) main electrical switch at a building in Port Angeles, Washington.

Turn off the electricity supply to the wet or flooded building.

The electricity supply to the building must be turned off at the building's main breaker box or fuse box.

Watch out: Electricity and water don’t mix, so turn the power off at your home! Touching any live electrical component, wire, switch, receptacle, or plugged-in electrical device in a wet or flooded building risks death by fatal electric shock.

If you can get to your electric box without going through or standing in water, you can turn off the power yourself.

Watch out: If you would have to step in water to get to your electric box, call an electrician, don't enter the wet area before you are certain that electrical power is completely OFF at the building.

If your main electrical power switch is outside the building

Turn off the main electrical switch, or if there are multiple switches labeled MAIN, turn ALL of them OFF.

Watch out: a few problem-brand electrical panel circuit breakers including FPE / Federal Pacific / Federal Pioneer / Federal Electric, and Bulldog Pushmatic brands may remain "ON" internally, electrically, even when the switch is in the "OFF" position.

If your electrical panel is one of those brands, you need help from an electrician who knows how to use simple test equipment like a neon tester or volt meter to confirm that electrical power is really "OFF".

If your main electrical power switch is inside the building

Remember that if the electrical or gas controls are inside the home, do not turn them off until you can safely enter your home.

That means that you don't walk in water or on a wet floor to reach and turn off the main switch in an electrical panel.

Our photo shows the main switch at an indoor electrical panel.

See examples of main electrical switches

at MAIN ELECTRICAL DISCONNECT

You must Turn the Main Switches OFF - Don't Just Rely on the Power Company who may have turned power off to your neighborhood

Even if the power company has turned off electricity to the area, you must still make certain your home’s power supply is disconnected.

You don’t want the power company to turn it on without warning while you’re working on it.

If the Electric Meter Has Been Removed

Your utility company may have removed your electric meter. Usually, but not always, this should turn off the power.

We say "usually" because depending on what electrical wire connections, including "temporary" connections, that someone may have made in the electric meter box, simply removing the electric meter does not always turn off the power.

Turning Off Electricity at Fuse Boxes

1. Stand on a dry spot.
2. If your box has a handle on the side, use a dry wooden stick or pole to pull the handle to OFF.
3. Use the stick to open the door.
4. Carefully pull out the main fuses. Use a dry wooden stick.
5. Unscrew and remove each circuit fuse main breaker.
6. See ELECTRICAL SAFETY for FLOOD DAMAGE INSPECTORS

Turning Off Electricity at Circuit Breaker Boxes

Photo above: the electrical supply and main switch at an outdoor standard used to provide electricity to a mobile home, doublewide, or trailer home.

1. Stand on a dry spot.
2. Use a dry wooden stick or pole to open the door.
3. Use the stick to push the main breaker switch to OFF.
4. Use the stick to turn each circuit breaker to OFF STEP
5. See ELECTRICAL SAFETY for FLOOD DAMAGE INSPECTORS

See also

SHUT DOWN EQUIPMENT, WHEN-TO

See also

ELECTRICAL SAFETY for FLOOD DAMAGE INSPECTORS

Watch out: Later when flood waters have subsided and the building is being cleaned, there will still be electrical safety concerns:

Protection from electrical shock: Because of the danger of shocks and fire, electrical receptacles that were flooded should not be used to operate cleaning or drying equipment. An electrician should evaluate the condition of flooded components prior to use.

As a rule, all flooded receptacles should be removed and replaced after the appropriate circuit breakers or fuses are deactivated and the interruption of power to the receptacle confirmed. - Source: CLEANING FLOODED BUILDINGS Hurricane Sandy Recovery Fact Sheet No. 1 [PDF] FEMA

When Can You Turn Electrical Power Back On after a Building Has Been Flooded?

Keep power off until an electrician has inspected your system for safety.

When an electrician confirms that it is safe to do so, and it's time to turn power back on,

see Step 5. RESTORE UTILITIES AFTER FLOODING 

Post Flood / Disaster Electrical System Safety

• FLOOD | SYSTEMS INSPECTIONS (ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT) [PDF] FEMA,
  
  Watch out: Do not touch electrical equipment if it is wet or if you are standing in water
  
  
  Footnotes to references cited in the document above:
  
  [1] United States, Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, “Electrical Safety: Safety and Health for Electrical Trades, Student Manual,” 2009, 31-32. 
  
  [2] Sebastian Jonkman and Ilan Kelman, “An Analysis of the Causes and Circumstances of Flood Disaster Deaths,” Disasters 29, no. 1 (2005), 85.
  
  [3] Ilan Kelman and Robin Spence, “An Overview of Flood Actions on Buildings,” Engineering Geology 73 (2004), 304.
• PROTECTING BUILDING UTILITIES FROM FLOOD DAMAGE [PDF] (2017) FEMA P-348, Edition 2 / February 2017, retrieved 2023/07/30, original source: fema.gov/sites/default/files/2020-07/fema_p-348_protecting_building_utility_systems_from_flood_damage_2017.pdf
• SAFE CLEANUP AFTER THE FLOOD [PDF] (2017) FEMA, retrieved 2023/07/30, original source: fema.gov/press-release/20230425/safe-cleanup-after-flood
  Excerpt:
  Protective Actions
  
  Do not touch electrical equipment if it is wet or if you are standing in water. If it is safe to do so, turn off electricity at the main breaker or fuse box to prevent electric shock.
  
  If the area around the service equipment is wet or the service equipment itself is wet, have a qualified professional address the situation.
  
  Turn off electricity if you smell hot insulation or see damaged wires.
  
  If you are unfamiliar with your home’s electrical systems, contact the local power company or a qualified electrician for assistance.

...

Continue reading at Step 3. GET ORGANIZED for assessing and repairing flood damage, or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

Or see these

Recommended Articles

• BUILDING ENTRY for FLOOD DAMAGE ASSESSMENT for an explanation of how to enter a building safely in order to inspect its condition or begin dryout and repairs
• FLOOD REPAIR PRIORITY STEPS
• FLOOD RESPONSE CHECKLIST - list of items to address in priority order .
• SAFETY ADVICE ABOUT USING PORTABLE GENERATORS
• MAKE SURE IT IS SAFE TO GO BACK INSIDE
• SUPPLIES, TOOLS & EQUIPMENT YOU WILL NEED WHEN IT IS SAFE TO RETURN HOME
• HOW TO TURN OFF ELECTRICITY in a WET or FLOODED BUILDING
• HOW TO TURN ON ELECTRICITY - RESTORE UTILITIES AFTER FLOODING - How to Turn Electricity Back ON
• BUILDING ENTRY PROCEDURES AFTER DISASTER OR FLOODING: Enter Carefully
• RESCUE THE MOST VALUABLE ITEMS in the Building after a Flood
• DOCUMENT BUILDING DAMAGE & EXPENSES
• PROTECT YOUR HOME FROM FURTHER DAMAGE after Flooding or Disaster
• HOW TO DRAIN A FLOODED BASEMENT OR CRAWL SPACE
• 8 STEPS TO CLEAN OUT THE BASEMENT AFTER A FLOOD
• FLOOD & DISASTER BUILDING DAMAGE REPAIR PROCEDURES - home
• HURRICANE DAMAGED BUILDINGS

• HURRICANE, WIND, & STORM-RESISTANT WINDOWS
• WIND DAMAGED BUILDINGS

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