Experts warn last week's storms may have left hidden flood damage in your home

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — KSHB 41 reporter Grant Stephens covers downtown Kansas City, Missouri. He also focuses on stories of consumer interest. Share your story idea with Grant.

—

Last week's severe storms left trees down and debris scattered across the Kansas City area. While the immediate damage was visible, experts warn the more serious threat — water damage — can be harder to detect.

Shakiyla Franklin, whose home was damaged by the storms, said flooding in her basement was unexpected.

"My basement's kind of flooded ... and it's never done that either, so we had lots of rain with this," Franklin said.

Franklin said flooding is now her top concern.

Grant Stephens

David Grave, president of Rainbow Restoration of KC, said basement flooding is among the most common problems he sees after storms like these.

"What we see is water in basements," Grave said.

For homeowners who want to address the problem themselves, Grave said the first priority is removing standing water.

"If you don't want to call a service professional, you're worried about insurance, you just want to DIY it, that's fine," he said. "Have those tools in place before the storms come in, even if it's just a shop vac. Bulk water removal is the number one thing to accomplish if your basement takes on water."

But not all water damage is visible. Grave said your sense of smell can be an early warning sign.

Grant Stephens

"Your nose is a great indicator if something is wrong. Water left unextracted and dried out properly will begin to grow bacteria, potentially mold could start growing," Grave said. "So that nose will tell you, you'll start to smell something off. Doesn't mean it's too late to do anything, but that's a good indicator."

For homeowners who want a more reliable detection method, Grave recommends moisture sensors, which are available at hardware stores and online.

"One of the first things you can do is buy moisture sensors. I actually have one on the back of this truck," Grave said.

The sensors detect moisture on contact and send an alert directly to your phone.

"You'll see it has two contacts here and two contacts on the bottom. And you can tell it's picked up moisture before," Grave said. "Once that goes off, it just comes right to my phone."

Grave said acting quickly after a storm is critical to preventing long-term damage.

"The quicker you catch it, the more you're going to be able to recover and potentially have no true damages, long-term damages," Grave said.

Homeowners should also check their sump pumps to make sure they are working properly and have a battery backup before the next storm. A failed sump pump is one of the most common causes of basement flooding.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

—