Disaster Restoration

Restoration Newsline

SUMMER IS UPON US, AND THAT means another hurricane season has begun. Though this issue of the Restoration Newsline will focus on raising awareness and giving safety advice for hurricanes, these tips apply to all types of disasters – whether earthquakes, floods, tornadoes, blizzards or wildfires. SERVPRO® Franchise Professionals want to spread the same message no matter which corner of the country you call home: Be prepared! It is never easy to be ready for the unpredictable, but now is the time to ensure your business and your customers are prepared for a natural disaster situation. Inside this Newsline, you will find:

• Basic hurricane and disaster safety information.
• A list of recommended items for your disaster supply kit.
• Steps on what you can do now to prepare, as well as directions to more resources.

Whether you live in the gulf coast, the west coast or anywhere in between, contact your local SERVPRO® Franchise Professionals. They can provide preparedness resources to help you protect your home, business and loved ones. Just give us a call, and leave the restoration to SERVPRO®.

HURRICANES ARE ONE OF NATURE’S fiercest and least predictable forces. Though it can be nearly impossible to forecast severe storms in advance, a group from Colorado State University (led by long-time hurricane prognosticator Dr. William Gray) predicts an average hurricane season in 2009. The team anticipates 12 named tropical storms between June 1 and November 30. Six of those storms are predicted to become hurricanes, and two are expected to develop into intense or major hurricanes (Saffir/Simpson category 3, 4 and 5). The same group predicts there is a 54 percent chance a hurricane will make landfall on a U.S. coastline. Due to the unpredictable nature of hurricanes, it is important to take steps now to protect yourself, your business and your family. Even areas far removed from the coastline may feel the impact of the side effects of a major hurricane, such as spin-off tornadoes, storm surges and flood damage The following tips are designed for safety in hurricane conditions, though many of the
precautions also apply to any severe storm situation.

1.Plan your escape route early.
Find out where the nearest official shelter
is in your area. The Red Cross or local
government can give you this information.
Keep a good map in your car in case you
are forced to seek an alternate route on
your way out of town.

2.Take inventory of your personal property.
Make a detailed list of your possessions
and back it up with photos or video
footage. Keep one copy in your home
and another in a separate location, in case
the storm damages the original copy. For
help with your business or home contents
inventory, contact your local SERVPRO®
Franchise Professional.

3.Take steps to protect your home.
Hurricane-force winds can turn landscape
materials into missiles that can break
windows and doors. Trim weak branches
off of trees and replace gravel/rock
landscaping with shredded bark.

Also consider buying the materials needed to brace garage doors and windows in advance, since many of these items may be in high demand when a severe storm is forecasted.

ELECTRICAL OUTLETS CAN BECOME dangerous when overloaded. Though it may be easy to simply plug in another power strip or extension cord when adding equipment, the wiring in some buildings often isn’t capable of supporting too many high-powered electronic appliances. Older office buildings and homes, in particular, often suffer from lack of electrical outlets. The temptation is to simply add a power strip or plug in an extension cord from across the room. Even in newer office buildings and homes, it can be all too easy to overload a single outlet with power-hungry machines such as computers, printers, scanners and monitors. So what’s the big deal? When an employee or resident overloads an electrical outlet, that means more current is running through the outlet than it can handle. This causes the outlet to overheat, which may lead to an electrical fire. According to a 2008 National Fire Protection Association study, electrical distribution and lighting equipment are involved in more than 24,000 home structure fires per year. These fire damage result in an average of 320 deaths per year and an estimated $700 million in property damage per year.

If an electrical fire should occur in your office or home, get safely away from the fire and call your fire department immediately. If you choose to use an extinguisher on the fire, never let the fire get between you and a safe exit, and never use water to extinguish an electrical fire. The risk of electrical shock is far too great. Class C fire extinguishers
use a non-conductive extinguishing agent and should not cause electrical shock. To help prevent this and other electrical hazards, refer to the list below (provided by Electrical Safety Foundation International).

• If you must use a power strip, use a namebrand
  product from a reputable retailer.
• Low-quality or counterfeit power strips
  may contain wiring that isn’t adequate to
  carry the load.
• Place power strips where there is plenty
  of air circulation to disperse the heat.
• Never attempt to plug grounded (threeprong)
  cords into an ungrounded (twoprong)
  outlet.
• Do not bind, kink or knot electrical cords.
  Keep cords close to a wall to prevent the
  risk of tripping.