With heavy rains hitting Honeoye hard, homeowners are being left with wet messes that, if not taken care of, could lead to even more serious water damage.

On June 14, flood warnings, and flash flood watches were issued for several areas in Upstate New York, as flood waters washed parts of roadways away. Luckily, the flood waters have receded, but homeowners have been left with muddy, waterlogged, debris-covered properties, which residents say will take weeks to clean and repair.

Homeowner John Marrapese told WHAM that he faced damages costing hundreds of thousands of dollars last summer due to the creek flooding his home.

“I can only do what I can do to protect my property, but really with Mother Nature, I don’t know what you can do,” said Marrapese.

Though the extent of the damage may seem surprising, such weather happens far more frequently than people realize. According to the American Insurance Association, water damage claims are the second most frequently filed insurance claim in the United States, accounting for $11 billion in damages annually. A good chunk of this — eight percent — comes due to the weather. Property damage repairs, like those made to waterlogged properties, also make up about 36% of remodeling jobs.

The troubling part? Water damage is, in most cases, preventable. As much as 93% of the cost of water damage, which on average is about $5,000, could have been prevented with a shut-off system or water leak detection system.

In order to clean up water damage, homeowners need to first disconnect any electronics, removing them and any furniture from the area immediately. Then, homeowners need to dry out the affected area with mops, fans, dehumidifiers, and anything else that might help. Next, they need to disinfect everything, and prevent mold growth. Lastly, they need to toss anything that’s been water damaged.

Crew are already working hard in Honeoye Falls to repair roads and culverts, and move debris before the next major rainfall.