Water damage help in Valley Center
Valley Center floods from two directions. The Little Arkansas rises slowly on the west side, often with days of warning, while the east-side floodways can flash-flood in a few hours.
Referral service, not a contractor. A callback request is passed to an independent local restoration company. We do not perform the extraction, drying or repairs ourselves.
East side: flash flooding
According to the City of Valley Center's flood information page, the eastern part of town lies within the floodways of the West Branch of the West Chisholm Creek Floodway and Trails View Slough. These flood fast. In a normal flood event, 2 to 4 inches of rain in 3 to 4 hours puts the slough's banks at risk.
In the 1990s, floodwater from the West Branch of the Chisholm Creek reached as far north as Main and Meridian. Flash floods leave little time, so the city's advice is to be ready to act on your own before an official warning reaches you.
West side: the Little Arkansas
The western part of the city is in the Little Arkansas River floodplain. River floods there are slower, driven by rain to the north and west working its way downstream, and the city says they can often be predicted days ahead. In the 1950s, river water stood two feet deep on downtown storefronts.
The number to watch is on the USGS gauge at the Main Street bridge (site 07144200). When it reads 11.34 feet, the city says the bridge west of downtown is in danger of flooding, and nearby homes should take precautions.
In the Halloween Flood of 1998, a weather-lab gauge at Valley Center West Elementary caught 12.30 inches of rain, among the heavy totals the NWS listed for that storm. The Wichita flood guide tells the rest of that weekend.
Repairs and floodplain permits
Valley Center has belonged to the National Flood Insurance Program since 1977, and the city runs its own floodplain permit desk. Its flood page points out that the city counts more than buildings as floodplain work: fill, digging and fences come up too.
The city's flood page also explains how it looks at big repairs to badly damaged buildings in the mapped flood area, and that answer can change what a rebuild has to include. Read it, or ask, before you price a rebuild. The restoration price guide shows why scope moves the price so much.
So after a serious water loss inside the floodplain, talk to the Community Development Department at (316) 755-7310 before you sign a rebuild contract. Permit forms are online or at City Hall, 121 S. Meridian Ave. Drying and cleanup can proceed while you sort that out.
After the water: Valley Center's own advice
The city's flood page gives cleanup safety advice that any restoration crew would back:
- Turn off power at the service box if the house is about to flood, and stay away from wires. Current travels through water.
- Turn off gas before flooding if you can. If you smell gas, report it to the fire department or the gas company, and use no open flames.
- Clean everything that got wet. Floodwater carries sewage and chemicals.
- Keep children away from floodwater, ditches, culverts and storm drains.
- No generators or charcoal indoors.
For prevention, it suggests sealing brick and block walls against low-level flooding, raising furnaces and water heaters, and keeping small ditches clear. The basement flooding page has more on keeping water out below grade. The city asks residents not to dump anything in a watercourse. Report dumping, or debris in a ditch, to Public Works at (316) 755-7320.
Valley Center questions
Are Valley Center's flood maps current?
The city says its previous maps were adopted December 22, 2016, and that it has adopted FEMA's newer maps for Valley Center and all of Sedgwick County. They are on the Sedgwick County GIS site under "Land Features" and "Flood Plain."
Can I buy flood insurance in Valley Center?
Yes. Because the city participates in the NFIP, residents can buy federal flood insurance. Most homeowners policies do not cover flood, and there is a 30-day waiting period before a new policy takes effect.
Does the referral line cover Valley Center?
Yes, as part of Sedgwick County. Availability of an independent restoration company varies by day. If no one can take the job, you may not hear back.