Knowing When You Need Help is Important:  Restore Your Home the Right Way After an Incident

Hello World!  Welcome Friends!  In just a few months of 2017, we saw a very damaging and heartbreaking hurricane season. There have been 13 named storms, and Harvey, Irma, Jose, and Maria alone have caused hundreds of fatalities and billions in property damage to homes and businesses. But, according to the AccuWeather, “Hurricane season runs through the end of November, and it is possible the Atlantic may continue to produce tropical storms right up to the wire and perhaps into December.”

Unfortunately, such natural disasters make too many homes unlivable. Many simply disappear from their foundations. But, others require major restoration to return the residents to their home and assure their continuing good health.

But, not all disasters come from outside forces. Many threats—plumbing leaks, sewage back up, clogged toilets, or burst pipes—come from inside.

Knowing when you need help is important.

The Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) points out, “When water pools in the home, it will quickly soak through anything it comes in contact with.” It quickly becomes a toxic goop containing toxins, viruses, bacteria, and other contaminants.

Sitting water might carry cholera, hepatitis, and other hidden dangers. And, it guarantees the spread of mold. The mold spores spread quickly and destructively. Difficult to destroy, these spores especially affect those with respiratory weakness—young, old, and disabled. Once mold spores enter your lungs, they agitate breathing problems, produce nausea and vomiting, and leave you fatigued by neurotoxic complications.

The longer your business or residence is wet, the more serious the health risks and the higher the restoration costs. So, while you cannot predict when water damage will hit you, you can prepare for the inevitable.

Restore your home the right way.

1. Take care of you and your family first. In the event of a catastrophic event, your first duty is to assure the safety for yourself, family and/or employees.
2. Work from the bottom up. No one should enter the property until it is safe to return. And, even then, you should only secure your most valuable property and, then, make room for the professionals to mitigate the damage and restore the structure.
3. Protect the property from future damage. The Red Cross offers a convenient and thorough checklist of tasks to shore up the property from additional damage from wind and water following a damaging event.
4. Report your insurance claim. You should contact your insurance company as soon as you can. You will need to supply some key data based on what you have set up in a disaster plan, so it is smart to secure that information in advance.
5. Contact experts in restoration, mitigation, and more from RestorationEze.com. Your home or business disaster plan must include a reliable and certified cleaning and restoration professional crew.

Whether it’s a major natural disaster or an unexpected plumbing leak, water can be a threat—to you, the family, your business, and your pocketbook. Planning may not prevent the problem, but it will improve your response, reduce the stress, and speed your recovery.

Click the links below for any posts you may have missed!

One Room Challenge – Week 3

Fall Decor

I’d love for you to join my email list!  You’ll receive a notification straight to your inbox once a week on Monday.  This will include links to party posts and my home project posts!  Simply enter your address below.