Bowie, Maryland Water Damage and Flood Cleanup

Bowie began as a railroad town. Lots went on sale near the junction in 1870 under the name Huntington City, and the name Bowie arrived in 1880. Then, in 1957, Levitt and Sons bought the Belair Estate and built Belair at Bowie, a planned community whose sections are known for their alliterative street names. The city re-incorporated in 1963, and most of its residents today live in that 1960s development. Covering more than twenty square miles of Prince George's County's coastal plain at an elevation of about 150 feet, Bowie mixes those aging Levitt houses with Old Town Bowie's older buildings and newer subdivisions and shopping near Bowie Town Center.

The Restoration Job connects callers to independent restoration providers and does not carry out repairs itself. Call (888) 317-9980 at any hour for a free connection to a provider serving Bowie.

Belair at Bowie Houses Turning Sixty

A neighborhood built in one burst ages all at once. Many of the Levitt-era houses in Belair at Bowie are now around sixty years old, and even where kitchens and baths have been redone, original pipes, drains and fixtures often remain behind the walls and under the floors. Problems that tend to show up in housing of this vintage include:

• Corroded supply pipes that develop pinhole leaks inside walls
• Cast-iron or clay sewer laterals that crack or fill with roots, causing backups into the house
• Water heaters in utility closets beside living space, where a failure soaks floors and adjoining walls
• Additions and porch enclosures where newer roofs tie into older ones

When wastewater comes up through a drain, the cleanup is a different job: anything porous it touched usually has to be removed, and surfaces are cleaned and disinfected before drying. See sewage cleanup for more detail.

Coastal Plain Streams and the Patuxent Valley

Prince George's County lies on the Atlantic coastal plain, with gently rolling hills and valleys, and the Patuxent River forms its eastern boundary with Anne Arundel County. Bowie's runoff moves toward that river through local streams, and to the south the Western Branch, joined by Collington Branch, carries water through the county toward the Patuxent. Low-lying yards near stream valleys and ponds are the first to collect water in a downpour.

Intense summer rain is the main flood threat. The National Weather Service counted the Maryland suburbs in Prince George's and Montgomery counties among the hardest hit on September 10, 2020, when two to five inches fell across the region, mostly in about two hours. Storms like that overwhelm gutters, inlets and sump pits, and push water under doors and into lower levels. If water entered from outside, a provider will treat it as contaminated and follow flood cleanup procedures.

Wind Storms, Outages and Roof Leaks

The mature trees that line Bowie's older streets are also a source of storm damage. The June 29, 2012 derecho knocked out power to about 1.2 million customers across the Washington area, and storms like it leave limbs on roofs and gutters torn loose. An outage also silences sump pumps. After a storm, check the attic and upper-floor ceilings for stains even if the roof looks intact from the ground, and cover any openings promptly. Providers offering storm damage cleanup can tarp roofs and dry out affected rooms.

A Practical Checklist for Bowie Homeowners

In the first hour after discovering water:

• Shut off the main water valve and, if safe, electricity to wet rooms
• Photograph and video every affected area before moving things
• Move furniture, electronics and documents to a dry space
• Call your insurer to open a claim, and ask whether your policy includes sewer and drain backup coverage

Next, call (888) 317-9980 so we can connect you with an independent provider. A crew will usually extract standing water, take moisture readings, remove materials that cannot be dried, and run air movers and dehumidifiers for several days. If you are unsure whether your property is near a mapped floodplain, check the FEMA Flood Map Service Center; standard homeowners policies exclude flood.

Mold in a Humid Mid-Atlantic Summer

Bowie's summers are hot and sticky, and 2018 showed how wet a year can get, with Reagan National recording a record 66 inches of precipitation. In those conditions, drywall, carpet pad and wood framing that stay damp after a leak can begin to grow mold within a couple of days. Run a dehumidifier, keep air moving, and do not put flooring or baseboards back until readings are normal. If you see spreading growth or smell mustiness weeks later, consider a provider that offers mold remediation.