Water damage restoration in Metairie and Kenner

Most flood stories in this region begin with the Gulf, but Jefferson Parish has shown that a storm does not need a name to do serious damage. On May 8, 1995, upwards of 20 inches of rain fell on Metairie in about 12 hours. ^[1] That sort of rainfall overwhelms any drainage system built on flat land, and water gathers in the lowest streets and yards until pumps catch up.

The geography explains why. Kenner's listed elevation is 7 feet below sea level, ^[2] and Metairie's is 3 feet above it. ^[1] Water cannot simply run downhill to the lake, so canals, such as the one Veterans Boulevard was laid out beside, carry it to pumps. A power failure, a blocked inlet or sheer volume can leave streets full long enough for water to reach the door of a slab home.

Rainfall is plentiful even in an ordinary year. Metairie averages about 62.5 inches of precipitation annually. ^[1] For homeowners, that means roofs, gutters, window seals and door thresholds get plenty of testing, and small leaks have plenty of chances to become big ones.

The old natural ridge is a key local detail. Metairie takes its early road and streetcar line from a slightly higher strip of land, where upscale tracts were built in the 1920s and became known as Old Metairie. ^[1] Further from the ridge, land drops away and subdivisions came later. Height differences that seem tiny on a walk can be the difference between a wet driveway and a wet living room.

Metairie's urbanization began in the 1910s, and by the 2019 American Community Survey it had about 61,354 housing units, 59 percent of them owner occupied. ^[1] That leaves a sizeable share of renters, and landlords and tenants each need to know who reports what after a loss. Kenner's growth sped up in the late 1950s, when developers drained and filled swampland in the northern half of the city. ^[2]

Building on drained, soft ground has a known side effect: soil can settle over time. ^[3] Across a region like this, settlement can leave older houses lower in relation to the street than they were when first built, so a look at where your slab sits against the road is worthwhile. A house that stayed dry in one storm is not guaranteed to stay dry in the next.

Inside a slab home, flood water affects flooring and the lower wall first. Carpet and padding will soak quickly, and vinyl and tile can trap water on top of the concrete. Drywall wicks moisture upward. Our guide to wet drywall goes through how the decision to cut is made, and it applies directly to these homes.

Older ridge houses bring their own considerations. Some may have plaster and original wood floors, and homes built before 1978 may contain lead paint. ^[4] Those materials change both how the wall is dried and how carefully it must be opened. Ask your contractor how they check for lead and asbestos before cutting anything.

Older records show that this part of the parish has flooded deeply before modern protection. During a 1947 hurricane with 125 mph winds, much of Metairie ended up under 6 feet of water, and Hurricane Betsy in 1965 brought heavy wind damage and moderate flooding. ^[1] Hurricane Katrina in 2005 prompted many Orleans Parish residents to move to the community. ^[1]

More recently, Hurricane Ida in 2021 struck southeast Louisiana hard. ^[5] For many Jefferson Parish homes, the concern in such storms is wind and rain rather than rising water alone. When a roof opens, the first signs may be stained ceilings or wet insulation, and if the power stays off afterward, drying gets delayed and mold becomes more of a risk. The storm and roof leak page covers this in detail.

The insurance side follows the same split. Louisiana's insurance department explains that wind-driven rain through storm damage is generally a homeowners matter, flood damage belongs under a flood policy, and that both should be notified if you experienced both. ^[6] Homes here may well see both in one event.

Boundaries here decide which office you deal with. Metairie is an unincorporated community, so it has no city hall of its own and falls under Jefferson Parish government. ^[1] Kenner is an incorporated city within the same parish. ^[2] Before major repairs, confirm with the proper office whether a permit is needed, especially if your home has been substantially damaged and sits in a flood zone.

This matters because substantial damage rules in mapped flood zones can require a home to meet current floodplain standards as part of its repair. Drying and removing wet materials usually come first, but rebuilding decisions should wait until you know what applies. Your contractor can explain what they typically handle, and the responsible local office has the final word.

Those who rent should check their lease and tell the owner about any damage. If you own a condominium, the association's policy may apply to the structure and your own policy to the interior, so both should be notified. A multifamily building adds shared walls and shared ceilings, so a leak upstairs may affect several households at once.

Southeast Louisiana's warm, humid conditions mean moisture rarely leaves a building on its own. The EPA suggests keeping indoor relative humidity between 30 and 50 percent where possible, ^[7] and that takes work here. A properly sized air conditioner helps, as do bath fans that actually vent outside.

If your system has been running but rooms still feel clammy after a leak, the house may still be holding water. A contractor can compare readings from wet and unaffected materials and show you where things stand. Our drying timeline guide describes what you should expect from that process.

Slab homes also face a slower kind of moisture. Water sitting against the outside of a low slab after heavy rain can find its way to flooring and baseboards, and repeated dampness may show up as lifting vinyl planks, musty closets or peeling paint low on the wall. These signs deserve a closer look even without any obvious single event.

You can check a contractor with the [Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors](https://lslbc.louisiana.gov/) ^[8] and ask for proof of insurance. Ask whether their drying records show dated moisture readings and how they will separate flood-related work from wind-related work for your claim paperwork, if you have both.

After a major storm, many homes will need help at once. Be cautious with anyone pressing you to sign immediately or asking you to hand over insurance rights before you have read the paperwork. The call on this site connects you with an independent contractor, and you are free to take time before deciding. Ask directly about timing rather than assuming, since it depends on conditions and demand.

Directly across the 17th Street Canal, New Orleans has different housing and a separate water and sewer authority. Across Lake Pontchartrain, the Causeway leads from Metairie to the Northshore communities of Covington and Mandeville, and Slidell lies to the northeast. If your property is in another parish, say so at the start of the call.

Not every Jefferson Parish loss involves weather. Water heaters and air handlers are often placed in attics or closets, and a clogged condensate line can overflow into a ceiling during ordinary summer use. A pan with a working drain line and a float switch can catch small overflows. Check them before cooling season, and look for rust and old stains. A stain below an air handler in July usually points to the unit and not to the roof, and that distinction is useful when you explain the loss to a contractor or your insurer.

Also check hoses under sinks and behind washing machines. These are simple to replace and quick to inspect. If you leave for an evacuation or a long trip, closing the main valve removes the risk of a supply line running for days with nobody home. Show everyone in the household where that valve is before storm season starts, and test that it still turns freely, because old valves can seize after years without any use at all.

Hurricane Ida made landfall near Port Fourchon on August 29, 2021, with 150 mph sustained winds, tying the strongest landfall winds on record for Louisiana. ^[5] Major damage was reported in Jefferson Parish and a large part of the parish lost power. ^[5] Lower Jefferson, outside the post-Katrina protection system, saw about 8 feet of water overtop its levees, ^[5] which is a very different event from what most East Jefferson homes faced behind their levees.

For a house with a torn roof and no electricity, the problem compounds daily. Without air conditioning, indoor humidity climbs; without power, dehumidifiers do not run; and in late August, heat speeds up every biological process in a wet wall. If you are in that position, the practical priority shifts from drying to removal. Taking out soaked ceiling board, attic insulation and carpet lowers the amount of water the house is holding until equipment can run.

Generators need real discipline. Three carbon monoxide deaths were reported in Jefferson Parish on September 2 after Ida. ^[5] Run a generator outdoors, far from doors and windows, and never in an attached garage. Keep cords out of standing water, and do not feed power back through a dryer outlet, which can endanger people working on the lines. Battery carbon monoxide alarms are worth having before storm season.

With roughly four in ten Metairie housing units not owner occupied, ^[1] many people reading this will not control the roof or the plumbing. A tenant's job is to report quickly, in writing, and to document personal belongings. Moving your things away from a wet wall is reasonable, but opening walls or hiring a contractor for the building usually is not your call.

In a two-story complex, one failed water heater or supply hose can affect the units below and beside it. Tell your neighbors, because they may not know their wall is wet. Ask the property manager who is coordinating drying, and make sure equipment in shared spaces has been cleared with the association, particularly where shared electrical circuits limit what can run.

Back to all of Louisiana. Nearby pages: Baton Rouge, Covington and Mandeville, Denham Springs and Walker, New Orleans, Shreveport and Bossier City, Slidell.

Related help for Metairie and Kenner: water extraction, structural drying, sewage backup cleanup, fire damage restoration and smoke damage cleanup. First time dealing with this? Read the first hours after water damage.