Quick answer
For water damage in Matthews, GA, shut off your main valve first, or turn off the well pump breaker if you are on a private well. Matthews has no town water department; if you get a water bill, call the number on it. Then call a water damage restoration company; drying should start within 24 to 48 hours, before mold sets in.
Do this first
After-hours water lines.
- Shut off the water. Close your main valve, or turn off the well pump breaker if you are on a private well. Matthews is unincorporated and has no town water department; if you get a water bill, call the number on it.
- Make it safe and document it. Cut power to wet rooms from a dry spot, photograph the damage, then report the claim.
- Start drying within 24 to 48 hours. Crawlspaces, basements, and slab homes with carpet hold moisture longer than they look.
FEMA's flood map puts less than 1% of the land inside Matthews in the high-risk flood zone. The map panels for this area took effect in 2010. Check your own address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center. Never drive or walk through moving water, and treat floodwater as contaminated.
What to know about water damage in Matthews
1904
The year the legislature incorporated Matthews, then a town of about 150 on the Augusta Southern Railroad and the trading center for northern Jefferson County. Today it is an unincorporated community of 146 people.
Sources: Genealogy Trails, Jefferson County history, Wikipedia
Three general stores
Three landmark general stores still stand in Matthews, along with an abandoned bank building, from the years when the town was a railroad shipping point.
Source: Vanishing Georgia, Matthews
24 damaged homes
After Hurricane Helene in September 2024, 115 homeowners in ZIP 30818 registered for FEMA aid. Inspectors found damage at 24 homes, totaling about $364,058. Owners who did not apply are not counted.
Homes in 30818
57% of homes in ZIP 30818 are mobile homes, and the median year built is 1993. In a manufactured home, water can spread under the flooring into the subfloor and the insulation under the home, so a leak is often bigger than it looks.
Check your ZIP
Flash flood warnings in Jefferson County
The National Weather Service issued 11 flash flood warnings that included Jefferson County from 2016 through November 11, 2026. The year-by-year count is on the Louisville page.
Cost and insurance in Matthews
How much does water damage restoration cost in Matthews?
Most jobs run $450 to $16,000 (Angi). Creek flooding needs a separate flood policy. Mobile home subfloors and farmhouse crawlspaces take longer.
Water removal and restoration in Matthews
The company that answers handles water under mobile homes, failed well lines, septic backups, and leaks in old farmhouses, plus burst pipes, appliance leaks, drying, and septic backups.
Matthews questions
Who handles a septic problem in Matthews?
Matthews has no town sewer, so homes use septic tanks. Jefferson County Environmental Health, at 478-625-3716, handles septic permits and repairs; a restoration company handles the cleanup inside the house.
My well pump runs and will not shut off. What does that mean?
It often means a broken line between the well and the house, or a leak inside. Turn off the pump breaker, look for wet spots in the yard or under the house, and call a plumber.
Which ZIP codes does this page cover?
ZIP 30818, including Matthews and nearby parts of the county. Matthews is in Jefferson County, a few miles from Wrens.
Related guides
Other Georgia towns- Water mitigation vs. restoration
- Sewage backup: what to do first
- Mold after water damage
- Mold remediation cost
- Does homeowners insurance cover water damage?
- How long water damage takes to dry
- Water in the crawl space
Local phone numbers checked November 2026: