The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recognizes how water damage situations (such as from a flood, leaky or broken pipe, sewage backup, etc.) can be potentially hazardous”¦ not just initially, but over time as well.
Toilet Tragedies
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.
Floodplain Zones: What you need to know
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
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.
Protecting Important Documents
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.
Sensitive to Mold and Other Allergens?
DID YOU KNOW that even the healthiest of individuals can still feel negative effects in the presence of some common things around the house?
It’s not something that necessarily has to start growing in the basement of your house after a flood. It’s something that can “just happen” and it’s not good news. But it can be easily fixed.
First of all, what are we talking about?
How To Prevent A Home Fire
While a water damage occurring in your home from a rain or windstorm, a broken pipe or perhaps an overflowing sink or toilet is a terrible event to experience, virtually nothing is as devastating as a fire.
And while statistics indicate a downward trend in house fires, mainly because of better, modern safety protocols, it is still a huge issue that must be addressed. For example, in 2013 there were more than 1,200,000 home fires, nearly 3,500 deaths and 16,000 injuries reported by the National Fire Protection Association.
More than half of home fires start in one of your favorite places: The kitchen. That’s right. Cooking is an everyday occurrence and it is the number one cause of fires. Usually on the stove. Other causes include candles, Christmas trees, overburdened electrical cords/outlets, appliance malfunctions and cigarettes or cigars, to name just a few.
What can you do to make things safe in your home and protect your family?
Avoiding Wood Deck Woes
Avoiding Wood Deck Woes
Wood decks can be beautiful things, add value and enjoyment to your home. Unless they are ignored or neglected, of course.
Like any surface in your home, a wood deck needs some special care. While a lower-cost alternative to pavers, concrete and other hard surface materials, wood decks are very attractive, especially if you chose a color tone that matches your home and is one you enjoy.
But after a year or two, aging happens and dirt and grime accumulates. Stains as well. You start to wonder what you can do to bring back to life the deck you admired so much. Continue reading “Avoiding Wood Deck Woes”
Protect Yourself: Insurance
You turn to your insurance company and your agent you have been paying faithfully for many years. All you want is for your valuable items lost in the disaster to be replaced.
There aren’t many events that are more disturbing or more tragic than a flood or fire in your home.
Your home is a place to raise your family. It’s a place to feel safe and secure. So, when an event occurs that takes it all away from you “” even temporarily “” it’s normal for a feeling of helplessness to overwhelm those in the family.
You need help. You need reassurance. You want everything to be back to normal and you can’t do it alone.
That’s what insurance is for, right? Continue reading “Protect Yourself: Insurance”
Three Steps for Drying Out
There are many causes of water damage to homes and buildings, ranging from heavy rains, leaky roofs, broken pipes, failure hot water heaters, sewage back-ups and more.