emergency preparedness kit

Create Your ‘Go Bag’

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Floods, fires, high wind and other damaging events caused by inclement weather can happen anywhere, anytime and to anyone.

Thinking and planning ahead can give you peace of mind.

One great way to plan ahead is to create an emergency preparedness kit, or as some call it, a go bag, which is a backpack, small suitcase or other type of container packed with essential items you might need in the event of an emergency, especially if you are evacuated from your home.

While it is true odds are in your favor that you may never have to evacuate your home or relocate on a temporary basis, when it does happen, your basic needs will be cared for if you have a go bag ready to”¦ go. Continue reading “Create Your ‘Go Bag’” →

Toilet Tragedies

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There’s not much that can cause a panic and loud screaming than when the handle of the toilet is pushed and “” instead of everything swirling down into the sewer line “” it all comes rushing back out.

You know what the “everything” is… and you surely do not wish to be the offending flusher who must clean it up. But someone needs to do the dirty work.

Continue reading “Toilet Tragedies” →

how to unclog a drain

Clogged Drain Dramas: How to Unclog a Drain

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It sits in the center of every sink, at the end of every bathtub, and could be anywhere at the bottom of a shower stall… that’s right. You see them all the time. Drains that faithfully work to take away soapy water, food waste and more.

So when they slow down or even quit working entirely, it is very frustrating and annoying.

Your first inclination is to grab a plunger, which might work but more than often… it doesn’t work at all. But you have to try! Sometimes, a connecting drain to the plugged one allows air to escape and the plunging action is worthless. You can plug the second drain with a towel or cloth, and that might help with the plunging action.

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Floodplain Zones

Floodplain Zones: What you need to know

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Have you ever walked or drove down a road and came across a sign that declared, “Floodplain Zone!”

If it was near your home, you might have panicked. But if it was somewhere far from your home, you felt safe.
A floodplain can be dangerous because any home in or near one is subject to flooding. If you have a basement, you have more to worry about.

But did you know that even if you live outside a floodplain, there are flooding issues that you must be aware of? Continue reading “Floodplain Zones: What you need to know” →

The Dangers of Soot

The Dangers of Soot

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It doesn’t seem that dangerous. It’s just the byproduct of a fire… maybe from a chimney, a furnace puff-back, even an over-zealous gas grill. When the fire is out, you should be able to clean up the soot residue easily, right? Not so fast! Soot has some characteristics that everyone should consider before attempting to clean. Those who perform fire damage work understand the dangers of soot. So do emergency personnel like firemen. In fact, outdoor soot is regulated by the EPA, classified as a criteria pollutant. Consider these facts about soot.
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Closet Cleaning & Organizing

Closet Cleaning & Organizing

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Although traditionally a spring cleaning chore, cleaning and organizing a closet can be done any time of year. And no, keeping the door shut isn’t the best solution to a messy, disorganized closet, although it may give you moments of sanity that quickly disappear when you venture inside for that favorite pair of pants you haven’t seen in months. Here are a few quick tips on cleaning and organizing your closet.
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Protecting Important Documents

Protecting Important Documents

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It’s natural. It’s human nature. You don’t really think about this very often.

What are we talking about? Water, fire and smoke damage.

When you do think about what may happen to your home, and then take action to prepare, what you do is usually minor and easy to do… such as turning off your outside water supply when winter approaches and testing smoke alarms and replacing fire extinguishers on a regular basis.

Yet there is one very important action you should take right now in preparation for the unthinkable. That’s right, protecting your important documents, such as your birth certificates, marriage license, financial papers, insurance policies and social security cards. 

Most homeowners keep all their important papers and documents in what they consider a safe place, such as in an organized folder in a home office or secure location where they know exactly where everything is. Unfortunately, that’s not really very safe when there is flooding or fire and
smoke. Others might utilize a water and fire proof safe, which is a great idea.

Yet there is something additional you can do to 100% guarantee your important documents are safe no matter what happens.

Scan them and put them on the “cloud.”

You may already do this, and if so, congratulations. No matter what happens to your home, your documents are safe and can be accessed from any device connected to the internet.

But if you don’t, get a cloud-based storage account that has plenty of storage space for your needs and start scanning those documents. Keep them organized in online folders, and make sure those in your family who should have access to them have username and passwords they can use in an emergency. You should still keep the originals as safe as you can, of course.

And when the unthinkable happens, when you do have a fire, flood or mold damage, don’t forget there is professional assistance for you: Call your disaster restoration pro for help.

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