Severe weather last night? You’re in the right place. Restoring your home after storm damage is a job that’s important to leave to the experts. If your home got damaged in a storm, you need a company offering 24/7 emergency services.
What happens if you wait? Water damage, and the risk of mold and odors get worse the longer you leave it. However there are some things you should do as a first step.
What to do right now
Acting quickly is essential to minimize overall damage to your home.
Assess the storm damage for safety
Our homes feel so familiar, so it’s easy to feel safe even after a disaster. So is your property safe to be in right now? Damage to the roof or wall by a fallen tree might mean the whole property is at risk.
Staying in a hotel or with friends or family temporarily could be a sensible move.
How about the gas?
Is there any visible damage to the gas supply? Check for the smell of gas too. If you can smell gas, turn it off at the mains if it’s safe to do so.
Call your insurance company
You should do this as soon as possible. Take plenty of clear photos of the damage now for your insurance claim. And remember to take photos inside and outside your home.
If a lot of people were affected by the storm, claiming early makes sure your case gets seen to first.
Bear in mind too that insurance companies often try to avoid paying out if you end up with mold damage. Why? Because you didn’t tell them about the disaster that led to mold damage early enough.
What should your post-storm checklist be?
When you can do it safely, assess whether your home has any of the following.
-
Damaged or missing roof shingles
-
Cracked, crumbling, or wet walls
-
Broken windows
-
Broken or jammed doors
-
Moisture damage to carpets, walls or furniture
-
Flooding, especially in the basement
Fire damage after a storm
Did you know, over 22,000 property fires every year in the US are caused by lightning? And they lead to an average of $451 million in annual property damage.
But that’s not the most likely cause of fire during a storm. Electrical fires can be started by electrical cables that are downed by trees. Many fires also start after a gas leak if the storm hit the gas supply.
And if water gets into electrical appliances this can also be a huge fire risk of course.
So after a big storm, how do we go about fire damage restoration? We assess your home for fire and smoke damage, and the odor that comes with it. And the structure of the building, what can be restored or replaced.
All storms are different in nature, some with more rain than others. And perhaps the fire was put out with water. So depending on these two factors, fire damage restoration often goes hand in hand with water damage restoration.
Water damage after a storm
Storms make water damage that little more complicated as there may be more unexpected breakages.
When you call us for water damage restoration, we assess everything that homeowners might overlook. When the electrical supply is safe, we check your air conditioning units for water damage.
And then we get going on the water extraction with specialized equipment. We dry everything thoroughly and check for structural damage. After the water extraction, sanitation is paramount if the storm has affected the local sewers.
After the storm, get water damage restoration as soon as you can. This is so you won’t have to deal with the dreaded mold. If it’s too late for that then read on to…
Mold damage due to storms
Maybe you only noticed the dreaded mold damage weeks or months after the storm. Checking for mold is often way down people’s priority lists compared to repairing more obvious storm damage. But if your home gets wet or damp, mold can start to grow just 24 hours after the storm.
Mold damage is actually really dangerous because of the toxic spores, which you can breathe in without knowing. So you need a company that uses the latest mold remediation equipment.
Whether you need professional mold remediation on your walls, ceiling, roof or basement, Save The Day Restoration can handle it all.
Sanitization & Disinfection
Storms can cause damage from sewer water and then unhygienic and dangerous mold. So correct sanitation and disinfection is vital. Left unchecked, dirty water can cause pink eye, infection of broken skin and even cholera.
The disinfection products we use are industrial strength. And this means they kill anything in the air or on surfaces that might otherwise harm you or your family.
Odor removal
Once we’re done with the sanitation and disinfection, your home may have some lingering odor. So then we’ll carry out professional odor removal.
After we’ve left, you should also take steps to prevent the bad smell returning. Odor removal is permanent if you maintain the right environment.
And these steps are simple like making sure the area is well ventilated and dry. An air filter can also be a great buy depending on the source of the original odor.
The sooner you contact a restoration company after storm damage, the more you can minimize the odor in the first place.
Make a smart choice when restoring your home after storm damage
Restoring your home after storm damage is something you need urgently. And you have to choose the right team for the job. Save The Day Restoration has years of experience and offers 24/7 emergency services.
So if you have storm damage, you can call us right now at (562) 246-9908 or contact us by email. Let’s get your home looking great again.
