basement got flooded witIh damage?

You don't have enough information to answer this question. Unfortunately many times such things depend upon the cause. There has been a lot of rain in some parts of the country recently. Some city drainage systems do not meet federal standards and lack of maintenance can cause backups from the city system into some houses.

Additionally your house drains could be plugged in a way that causes water from your property to back up into your home. Some older homes had roof drains attached to the sewer drains which would make this kind of a problem even worse.

You said the the home "almost" never gets flooded, but what about those times that it does. Could the conditions that cause this be getting worse. Unfortunately houses don't tend to fix themselves. Problems tend to get worse over time.

You may need a plumber to help you determine the exact cause of the problem. A bill documenting what they found and the repair required may be the first step.

Your first remedy is see what your homeowners insurance will provide. This is a contract between you and the insurance company. It is subject to the terms of that contract called a policy that is regulated by your state. It is likely that this kind of damage is not covered or that there are specific exclusions for maintenance or drain related issues. You might get some help reviewing the situation with your broker or company representative.

Until you are sure that you have no options for recovery you should try to collect information about the extent of your loss by finding receipts and taking pictures of the damage. If you have any possibility of recovery you will need these things to prove the amount of the loss.

Check your insurance policy as it may have something in it regarding flooding. Also check your home owners or renters insurance for details as well. If there is nothing involving flooding in your policies or insurance then it is unlikely anyone else will pay for your damaged items. If the damage and flooding was also an error of your own then it is also unlikely that anyone else but you will be paying for it. If there is any chance that someone else will pay for the damages you will need to take pictures and find receipts if you still have them to prove the extent of the damage. Once the area is drained out a plumber may need called in to discover the cause of the flood and possibly snake the drain to remove the clog. They can provide a bill of cause of the flood. This may help with filing a claim to get the items lost replaced.

in most cases even if you have flood insurance it won't cover it if the water came through the drain only through the walls or down Your stair or windows if they are city drains they may be liable for part of the cost but that's a long shot

Check your homeowners or renters insurance policy. If you don't have flooding or water damage coverage you might not have any recourse. The property owner is responsible for the sewer drain until it meets the street main.

Go to a equipment rental place to rent a submersible pump to remove the water from the basement. You can also rent dryers and fans to remove the water and humidity. Use rubber gloves and wadders. It may be best to throw out the carpet, but you may be able to clean the carpet and dry it with rented carpet cleaners and dryers (check with rental places). If you hire professionals it can get very pricey. I'd rent the equipment yourself sense it is far less expensive and it is not difficult. It can even be fun. When the water is under control and things are drying, you will want to use dilluted bleach to kill bacteria. You will want to solve the problem. The initial effort can be completed with the advice of people at the equipment rental place. You will want to consult with a professional about a solution to the underlying cause of the flooding.

It would most likely be you, your homeowners insurance actually. The city has no control of your drains that got clogged. I would call a roto rooter type outfit to snake the drains to avoid this in the future.

Check your insurance policy. It might not have flood insurance on it though......

its you are your insurance