The short answer: Before a hurricane, fill your bathtubs with clean water, shut off your water heater if you evacuate, know where your main water and gas shutoffs are, and get your septic tank pumped if it is due. After the storm, check for leaks before running water and never light a water heater that took on floodwater.
Hurricane season in south Louisiana runs June 1 through November 30, and the worst of it lands between mid-August and mid-October. After more than 20 years of post-storm calls across Lafayette, Youngsville, and the rest of Acadiana, we can tell you the pattern: most of the plumbing damage we repair after a hurricane was preventable with about an hour of work before it.
Here is the checklist we use at our own homes.
One week out: the walk-through
- Find your main water shutoff and make sure it turns. In most Lafayette-area homes it is at the meter near the street or where the water line enters the house. If it is seized with corrosion, you want to find out now, not with water rising.
- Find your gas shutoff. The valve sits at the meter. You will need a wrench to turn it, so keep one nearby. Do not shut gas off preemptively; only if you evacuate or smell gas. Utilities have to relight and inspect after a full shutoff, and that can take days after a storm.
- Get the septic tank pumped if you are due. Acadiana’s water table is already high. Storm rain saturates the drain field, and a full tank plus a saturated field equals sewage backing into the house. If your tank has not been pumped in 3 years, do it before the season peaks. (More on this in our septic guide.)
- Clear yard drains, gutters, and downspouts. Most “plumbing” flooding we see is actually surface water with nowhere to go. It is a good idea to have your yard drains cleared every few years.
- Test your sump or sewage ejector pump if your home has one, and consider a battery backup. Power fails before flooding starts.
48 hours out: water storage
- Fill bathtubs and large containers with clean water. A full tub is 40-plus gallons for flushing toilets and washing. Store drinking water separately: one gallon per person per day, three days minimum.
- Your water heater is an emergency reserve. A 40-50 gallon tank holds drinkable water. Know how to drain it from the valve at the bottom if the municipal supply goes down or comes back under a boil advisory.
- Charge everything, then locate your water meter key or shutoff tool and put it where you can find it in the dark.
If you evacuate
- Shut off the main water valve. If a pipe breaks while you are gone, this is the difference between a repair and a gutted house.
- Turn off the water heater. Gas: set the control to OFF or PILOT. Electric: flip its breaker. An electric heater that keeps heating an emptied tank will burn out its elements, and a damaged unit left running is a hazard.
- Shut off gas at the meter only if authorities tell you to or you smell gas as you leave.
- Do not fully drain your pipes or pour anything into drains. Traps need water in them to block sewer gas.
Should I turn off my water before a hurricane?
If you evacuate, yes, always. If you shelter at home, leave it on; you will want water, and municipal pressure loss is handled by the storage you set aside. The exception is if flooding reaches your home or you see a leak: shut it off then.
What about the toilets and drains during the storm?
If the neighborhood sewer system takes on floodwater, it can surcharge, pushing water up through the lowest drains in the house. If you are in a low-lying area of Youngsville, Milton, or Maurice and have had backups before, ask us about a backwater valve; it is a one-way flap that blocks the municipal system from flowing backward into your home. Backwater valves are not our preferred method, but sometimes your neighborhood or its drainage ditches leave you no other option. During the storm, flush as little as possible if streets are flooded. The system is already full.
After the storm: check before you use
- Smell gas? Leave and call from outside. Do not flip switches. Gas leaks after storms come from shifted meters and appliance connections.
- Look at your water heater before relighting it. If floodwater touched a gas water heater’s controls or an electric unit’s elements, do not start it. Flooded valves and thermostats are unsafe even after they dry out; manufacturers require replacement. One rule we use: if water has reached the insulation inside the unit, rust is already working its way in, and a full change-out is our recommendation, the best way to fully protect your home. Our next article covers this in detail.
- Run water and watch the meter. With everything off, a spinning meter means a leak. Shifting soil during heavy rain events breaks underground lines, and Acadiana’s clay does most of its shifting when saturation changes fast.
- Boil advisories: follow them. LUS and parish systems announce when supply is safe again.
- Septic after flooding: do not pump a tank while the ground is saturated. An empty tank in waterlogged soil can literally float out of the ground. Wait until the water table drops, then have it inspected.
Frequently asked questions
Should I turn off my water heater during a hurricane?
Only if you evacuate or lose water supply. If the tank stops refilling and keeps heating, it can be damaged. If you stay home with normal water service, you can leave it on.
Can I use my plumbing during a power outage?
If you are on municipal water and sewer, mostly yes: water pressure and gravity drains do not need your electricity. If you have a well pump, a sewage ejector, or a sump pump, those stop with the power.
Does homeowners insurance cover storm plumbing damage?
Wind-driven damage is usually covered; rising-water flood damage requires flood insurance. Document everything with photos before cleanup, including your water heater’s data plate if it flooded.
Do plumbers work right after a hurricane?
We do. Hargrave’s runs storm-response scheduling out of both our Lafayette and Youngsville shops as soon as it is safe to drive. Assurance Plan members go to the front of the line.
Before the next system forms in the Gulf
If your shutoff valve will not turn, your septic is overdue, or you want a backwater valve or gas line checked before the peak weeks, get on the schedule now. August storms do not wait for a convenient time, and neither should the prep. Book online or call 337-344-3920. Licensed and insured: LMNGF #9436, LPM #5401.
