The evening had that hush of approaching catastrophe, the tension permeating the air. Rushing water, echoey and relentless, I woke to a sound I would sooner not hear again. My head spun: where would you even begin if your house were just a few seconds away from turning into an indoor pool? I looked for a plumber near me using shaky hands and a phone within reach. We hardly understand how close total chaos is until it drips, pours, and gushes across our ceilings in this day of digital everything.

The emergency plumber arrived almost during movie time. Though it might as well have, the van most likely lacked a cape painted on the side. The pro passed the door fifteen minutes later, flashlight in hand and not a second to lose. He moved without stopping to admire my surviving carpet. Rather, he discovered the main valve and turned everything off before soggy disaster had an opportunity to ruin my week, month, and insurance score.

Fact: Damage from water is not only unpleasant. It comes in as one of the main causes of house insurance claims. The Insurance Information Institute claims that almost one in fifty insured homes have a property damage claim resulting from freezing or water damage. My stress-made-real was more typical than I had realized. The plumber clarified fast that the cause was a burst pipe—probably old, probably tired, just waiting for the right chance to let off.

The cold snap of last week battered a pipe in the crawlspace. Lucky for me, this plumber had the know-how to fix it right away and spare parts. My concerns about rising expenses with every hour gone are long gone. He shared advice: always insulate exposed pipes, know where your main water shut-off is, and never, ever ignore those small leaks; he kept me looped in at every stage.