How to Prevent Hurricane Damage

9/7/2023 (Permalink)

How to Prevent Hurricane Damage

Hurricanes are one of the worst storms you can deal with, especially living on the east coast. We've seen our fair share of hurricanes wipe out towns from flash flooding, to high winds, resulting in a lot of water damage and other issues to your home or business. Although you can't prevent a hurricane from hitting, you can help prevent extensive damage to your home. We're here to not only help with the storm damage restoration cleanup, but with tips on how to protect your home.

Get An Annual Inspection Done

Every year, you should have an annual inspection done on your home. This will help you stay on top of flaws that your home may have that would be affected heavily by a hurricane. Hidden dangers can lurk, even if your roof seems structurally sound. Also, you'll want to make sure that your basement remains watertight to prepare for any kind of flooding.

Get Flood Insurance - If Necessary

You may not be able to stop a flood, but you should be able to insure your home against the devastation of one. Make sure you have the right kind of insurance in place if you are in an area that experiences torrential rains, tsunamis, hurricanes, and other vicious storms. This is especially necessary if you live in a flood zone, however, some homes deal with flooding if the right size storm comes to town. It's better to be protected than not.

Safety-Proof Your Property

When you hear that a possible hurricane is planning on coming through your area, you need to prepare your yard for the worst. Make sure that your grill, patio furniture, and any other objects are put away or safely secured so high winds or flooding can't cause issue to them, or blow them into your home.

You'll also want to make sure that your trees are sturdy. It's not a bad idea to have a professional come take a look at the trees surrounding your home to ensure that they are sturdy and in good shape to prevent a tree from falling onto your property, or even worse, onto your home.

Stay On Top of Your Appliances

Hurricanes don't always just bring rain and wind, they also have a tendency of creating electrical fires. To decrease electrical fire risks, unplug devices. If water starts to enter into your home, steer clear of it in case it comes in contact with an electrical source.

Prepare and Secure Your Doors and Windows

The first thing you want to do is make sure that the seal around your doors and windows are in place and working properly. Secondly, you'll want to grab some sandbags and put them in front of the exterior of your doors. If you want maximum protection, put the sandbags around the perimeter of your home.

For windows, shattering, sharp glass can be one of the most serious dangers when hurricanes hit. It can damage furniture and floors, destroy walls, and endanger your family and pets. When the forecast becomes scary-looking, you can act quickly to close window coverings referred to as storm shutters. If you don't have storm shutters, boarding up your windows on the exterior with wood will help protect them.

You should even make sure that your garage door is ready for impact. To support it, hold it down and on the door jams, place several sturdy boards. This will work well for you if you don't have garage braces.

Storms Cause Water Damage

With storm damage, comes water damage - in most cases. When your Manhattan home has water damage from flooding or leaks, we have the expertise and equipment to properly restore your property. The water removal and water cleanup process is completed by our highly-trained technicians who will document the drying process. This validates that your property has been dried properly and thoroughly.

Please follow these tips outlined in our Water Damage Tips-Until Help Arrives Guide, to protect yourself and your property.

To learn more about our water damage restoration process, click here!

Flood Waters and Contaminated Water

Many times during hurricanes, sewers can get backed up, mixing in with flood water that enters your home. There are three types of contaminated water, "Clean Water," "Gray Water," and "Black Water."

"Clean Water" (category 1 water) is water from a clean water source only, such as a broken clean water supply line or faucet. If left untreated, category 1 water can quickly degrade into category 2 or 3 depending on factors such as time, temperature, and contact with contaminants.

"Gray Water" (category 2 water) has a significant level of contamination that could cause discomfort or illness if ingested. Sources for category 2 water may include washing machine overflow, toilet overflow with some urine - but no feces, or dishwasher overflow.

"Black Water" (category 3 water) is grossly unsanitary and could cause severe illness or death if ingested and any contact should be avoided. Sources for category 3 water could include flooding from rivers or streams, water from beyond the toilet trap, water from the toilet bowl with feces, or standing water that has begun to support microbial growth.

Storms Cause Water Damage, Which Causes Mold Growth

If you don't deal with water damage fast enough, it can lead to mold growth. It only takes a small water leak, or even excess humidity, for mold to form in your home. Mold can spread quickly through the property in as little as 48 hours, producing allergens and irritants, and it has the potential to cause other health effects. It's important to look for the signs of mold in your home so you can contact us right away for our mold remediation services.

To help you understand mold a little more, here are some facts:

• Mold is present almost everywhere, indoors and outdoors.
• Mold spores are microscopic and float in the air. They may enter your home through windows, doors, AC/heating systems, or even hitch a ride on your clothes or pet.
• Mold spores thrive on moisture. Mold spores can quickly grow into colonies when exposed to water.
• Before mold remediation can begin, any sources of water or moisture must be addressed. Otherwise, the mold may return.
• Let your nose lead the way. Mold often produces a strong, musty odor, and can lead you to possible mold problem areas.
• Even higher than normal indoor humidity can support mold growth, so keep the level below 45%.

Our mold remediation process starts with an emergency contact from you. We then hold an inspection and mold damage assessment. We'll follow that with containing the mold so it doesn't have the chance to continue to spread. After that, we'll start air filtration with our air scrubbers and HEPA vacuums to prevent the spread. We'll then start the mold removal on the structures of your home as well as any mold-infested materials. We will clean contents and belongings and finally, start the restoration process.

Depending on the level of mold damage, drywall, subfloors, paint and other building materials may have been removed. Restoration may involve minor repair jobs such as replacing drywall, painting, and installing new carpet - or, it may entail major repair jobs such as the reconstruction of various areas or rooms in a home or business.

However, 100% mold removal is not possible. Other restoration companies claim they perform mold removal services, but due to their microscopic form, there is no way to successfully try removing mold.

SERVPRO of Lower Manhattan Can Help with Storm Damage Restoration

If your home or business falls victim to a hurricane, we are here to help. We're faster to any size disaster, and when a storm hits, you need help immediately. Our quick response will help prevent secondary damage and help reduce restoration costs.

We specialize in flooding and storm damage restoration, the cornerstone of our business. We have extensive water damage and storm restoration training that allows us to get your home back to normal, quickly. We'll come to the rescue with our water damage restoration technicians and applied structural drying technicians.

We also have all the resources to handle storms and disasters. We can access resources and personnel of over 2160 franchises to handle major storms and disasters. We also have access to special disaster recovery teams strategically located throughout the country to respond to catastrophic storms and events.

About SERVPRO Team Harvey
SERVPRO of Lower Manhattan is proudly owned by Lance and Jennifer Harvey - a husband and wife duo that owns three other SERVPRO locations, including SERVPRO of Aberdeen/Holmdel, SERVPRO of West Somerset County, and SERVPRO of Hoboken/Union City.

We understand the stress and worry that comes with a fire or water damage and the disruption it causes your home or business. Our goal is to help minimize the interruption to your life and quickly make it “like it never even happened.”

Learn about TEAM HARVEY: VIDEO