What to do with flood-damaged photos

Work quickly: the first 48 hours matter

Mould can start growing within about 48 hours, so the goal is to get photos either dry or frozen within two days.¹

• Start with photos that have no negatives. Those are the only copies. If the negatives survived, new prints can be made later.²
• Handle wet photos very gently. The picture surface is fragile when wet.²
• Take photos out of damp albums and frames so they can dry.¹
• Before throwing anything away, take pictures of the damage for your insurance claim.¹
• You may not be able to save everything, so start with what matters most to you.¹

If you can dry them now

1. If they're dirty, rinse them gently in clean water.²
2. Lay them face up, in a single layer, on a clean surface: a table, a window screen, or clean plastic. You can also hang them up with plastic clothespins. Don't let the picture touch anything while it dries.^2,1
3. Dry them indoors, out of direct sunlight. Fans, open windows, air conditioning and a dehumidifier all help.¹
4. Never use a hair dryer, iron or oven. Heat does damage that can't be undone.¹
5. Don't worry if photos curl as they dry. That can be dealt with later.²

If you can't dry them within 48 hours

Freeze them. Freezing buys you time.^2,1

1. Rinse them in clean water if they need it.
2. If you can, put a sheet of wax paper between each photo.
3. Seal them in a plastic bag (a zip-top bag or a tied garbage bag) and put them in the freezer.
4. Later, they can be thawed, separated and air-dried as above.

Video tapes and film

Tapes and film need different care from prints. We'd suggest not trying to play one that got wet, and asking a specialist first. FEMA's Save Your Family Treasures page links to guidance for home movies and other items.¹

When to call a professional

If a precious photo is badly damaged, stuck together, mouldy, or was in contaminated water, a professional conservator may be able to help. Once photos have stuck together or gone mouldy, saving them may not be possible, so it's worth asking early.^2,1

In Canada, the Canadian Association of Professional Conservators has a directory to help you find one near you. The Canadian Conservation Institute's page on salvaging personal valuables lists more resources.³

Ottawa's floods in 2026

This year was hard on a lot of Ottawa families.

• Spring: the Ottawa River flooded again in April, after major floods in 2017 and 2019. The City set up sandbag stations, with flooding concentrated in Constance Bay, Cumberland, Fitzroy Harbour and Orléans.^4,5
• Canada Day: 118 mm of rain fell at the Ottawa airport on July 1, the most ever recorded in Ottawa on that date, according to Environment Canada.⁶ About 4,500 homes were affected by flooding.⁷

Most family photos are kept in the places water reaches first: basement boxes and closet floors. If yours came through safely, it may be worth moving them somewhere higher, or making a digital copy so one bad day can't take everything.