Standards
Editorial policy
The rules behind every page on this site: what we cite, what we refuse to claim and how to get a mistake corrected.
Standards every page has to meet
- Sourced factsClaims about health, law, weather and local history point to a public source listed on the page.
- Modelled data labelledWhere a figure comes from a weather model instead of a station, the page says so.
- No invented proofNo reviews, job stories, credentials, arrival times or local crews that we cannot document.
- No figures for workWe do not publish what restoration work should run to. Ask the contractor who sees the job.
- Illustrative imagesPictures show typical situations and are never presented as proof of completed work.
Reviews and corrections
Pages show the date they were last changed in their page data, and we change that date only when the content changes. The author of these pages is the site's editorial team, not a named expert, because we would rather state that plainly than invent a person. Information here is general and is no substitute for an on-site assessment by a qualified professional.
If something looks wrong or out of date, particularly lake levels, permit rules and flood maps that change over time, call the number on this site or use whatever contact route is shown on the contact page. Corrections are made on the page itself.
Independence from the contractors
This site is paid through the referral arrangement for calls. That is why we disclose the model on every page, and why our advice includes checks you can run on anyone you speak with, such as the Washington L&I Verify lookup. Our guides do not recommend any contractor by name.