Plumbing in Detroit meets freeze-thaw in houses full of older pipe. Galvanized supply lines narrow, then pinhole when the metal moves in a thaw. Cast iron drains crack or rust at the hub. A kitchen sink on an outside wall goes quiet in a cold snap and leaks when the ice lets go. Know where the main shutoff is, because old valves seize when you finally need them.
Floor drains and sump pumps take water the clay will not move. A hard rain can make a floor drain misbehave, and that is not a supply leak overhead. A cable can clear a clog and still leave a broken pipe, so say which outcome you need. A laundry tub or a bath below the main drain changes the job. Say if water is still rising.
Most of these water heaters sit in a low basement beside a laundry tub, with a flue that has to stay sound on its way into an old chimney. Sweat down the jacket is a different failure from a tank that simply went cold before dawn. Tankless equipment asks for venting and gas the cramped corner may not have. Say if you still have hot water, if the pan is running toward a floor drain, and if the flue is rusted where it meets the masonry.
If a claim may follow, shut the valve and photograph before a wall is opened. A faucet or toilet stays a smaller job until a stop will not close or a flange is broken. Galvanized that sprays when touched should be shut off, not twisted hopefully. A slow drip in a freeze-thaw house does not stay a drip.
Say burst, clog, water heater, or backup, and say if you can shut the water off. Mention a split hose bib if the outside faucet stayed charged. If a floor drain surcharges in the rain, say that before you describe a faucet. Call the number on this page.