Storm Season

8/16/2023 (Permalink)

If you've been outside lately, you will notice that it is that time of year again...The rainy season! And along with rain comes roof leaks.

Roof leaks can cause all sorts of damage to homes. They can be small, or they can cause large floods. 

However they come, if your home suffers water damage from a roof leak, SERVPRO of Marshall, Starke, Pulaski and Fulton counties can restore it. 

Many times you don't realize your roof is leaking until a major event happens. Slow leaks can build up over time and become large leaks that become noticeable. It is important to have a professional who can assess the damage and look for signs of secondary damage such as Mold from prolonged leaks over a period of time. 

If you suffer water damage from a roof leak give us a call today, we are ready to help. 574-936-5849.

Are You Ready For Storms?

6/6/2022 (Permalink)

 When Dealing with Leaks, Take the Following Steps to Minimize Damage:

• Clean up any puddles – standing water will soak in to wood and lead to permanent damage, warping and eventual rot.
• Catch drips – yep, the old bucket under the drip. You want to capture any drips you see so that puddles don’t form
• Find the source of the leak NOW!
• Fix the leak ASAP

The important thing is to find what’s causing the leak. Most rain induced leaks start in the roof. You do NOT want to be climbing around the slippery wet roof during a rainstorm.

Here’s a quick check-list of what to look at when dealing with a roof leak:

• Find where the leak is on the ceiling of the room below. That will lead you to a puddle or soaked insulation in the attic.
• Look for water stains, drip marks, etc. on the rafters above the wet insulation.
• Trace the water up the rafter. It should point right at the leak in the roof.
• Check chimneys where they cut through the roof. Mark the area at the highest point where you see the leak start. This is invaluable for whomever has to fix the leak.

If you do narrow it down to a roof leak, you will need to contact a roofer to fix the leak, and SERVPRO of Marshall, Starke, Pulaski and Fulton counties can handle the water damage. 

If you have water damage in your home, give us a call at 574-936-5849 and a technician will come and check it out!

Mother Nature is Unpredictable, But SERVPRO Is Here To Help!

6/6/2022 (Permalink)

SERVPRO of Marshall, Starke, Pulaski & Fulton County specializes in storm and flood damage restoration.  Our crews are highly trained and we use specialized equipment to restore your property to its pre-storm condition.

Faster Response

Since we are locally owned and operated, we are able to respond quicker with the right resources, which is extremely important. A fast response lessens the damage, limits further damage, and reduces the restoration cost.

Resources to Handle Floods and Storms

When storms hit Of Marshall, Starke, Pulaski & Fulton County, we can scale our resources to handle a large storm or flooding disaster. We can access equipment and personnel from a network of 1,650 Franchises across the country and elite Disaster Recovery Teams of Marshall, Starke, Pulaski & Fulton County that are strategically located throughout the United States.

Bottom line? You cannot guarantee you will prevent all storm damage from occurring. Mother nature is unpredictable, but SERVPRO is here to help you should storm damage destroy or even slightly damage your home or business.

Have Storm or Flood Damage? Call Us Today at 574-936-5849

Do You Know Who To Call First After Severe Storm Damage?

5/9/2022 (Permalink)

A severe storm can cause a lot of damage. Trees can fall, debris can wreak havoc and the ground can become saturated quickly. If your home floods as the result of a storm, having flood insurance can help cover the cost of storm restoration services. The following tips can help you file a flood claim with your insurance company so that you don't have to pay remediation expenses out of pocket.

Make Important Calls

The first thing you need to do is to call everyone who may need to be involved in resolving the flooding problem:

• Government office in charge of city sewer system
• Insurance company
• Certified flood cleanup professionals
  
  

When a large portion of your area floods, it can affect the city's sewer lines, and officials need to know if you are experiencing any problems. Notifying your insurance carrier prompts an adjuster to visit your home and analyze the damage listed on your insurance claim. Arranging for technicians to arrive as soon as possible helps you prevent further water damage to your home.

Document Damage

To file a successful flood claim, you need proof of all the damage the flooding causes. Don't wait until your adjuster to arrives to document it. Take pictures and video so that you have evidence of the initial state of your home after the flood. After cleanup technicians arrive and pump the excess water out of your home, take more pictures of the water damage and make an itemized list of all the items that must be restored or replaced. Having information ready when the adjuster arrives can help you make a more detailed claim.
If the area where your home is located floods, you may not be able to avoid water damage. Knowing whom to call and the immediate steps to take can help you file a successful flood claim.

So give us a call! We are faster to any disaster and are here to help make things "Like it never even happened."

Three Ways To Use Landscaping To Protect Your Home From Water Damage

5/1/2022 (Permalink)

Heavy rains or extreme storms can drop thousands of gallons of water on your yard over the course of a winter season, potentially leaving behind outside flooding or overflowing drainage in their wake. Therefore, it’s important to prepare for any intense rainstorm by finding ways to properly divert rain drainage away from your property. Here are three ways to use your outdoor landscaping to protect your home from the brunt of oncoming excess water and keep it outside where it belongs.

1. Be creative with your mulch. If you’ve created any garden or plant beds around the exterior of your home, there are preventative measures you can take to effectively ward off flooding issues. Use heavier mulch that absorbs more of the water within itself as opposed to allowing it to run toward the walls of the house. Furthermore, it’s best to leave a 6-inch gap between your mulch and siding so that any excess water doesn’t wick up and into the exterior siding of your home.

2. Direct rainwater spouts away from the house. In the event of a rainstorm, your drainage spouts work to keep water flowing freely off of your roof and away from your exterior paneling. However, it’s important to extend these downspouts as much as possible to keep any outside flooding from building right next to your home.

3. Use grass or rock formations as barriers. If your family has experienced countless flooding problems in your basement, cellar or even surrounding your doorways, it helps to create a landscaping barrier in areas that are prone to excess water buildup. Incorporate added grass to help absorb and block, or enhance the space with a decorative rock path to break up the runoff and keep it from collecting.

While outside flooding isn’t always preventable, there are certainly ways to help prevent excess water from building around the exterior of your home. These three methods can be useful in safeguarding your property without taking away from the beauty of your landscape. For more information give us a call! (574) 936-5849.

How To Protect Your Home When Heavy Rain & Storms Hit

4/8/2022 (Permalink)

Heavy rains or extreme storms can drop thousands of gallons of water on your yard over the course of a winter season, potentially leaving behind outside flooding or overflowing drainage in their wake. Therefore, it’s important to prepare for any intense rainstorm by finding ways to properly divert rain drainage away from your property. Here are three ways to use your outdoor landscaping to protect your home from the brunt of oncoming excess water and keep it outside where it belongs.

1. Be creative with your mulch. If you’ve created any garden or plant beds around the exterior of your home, there are preventative measures you can take to effectively ward off flooding issues. Use heavier mulch that absorbs more of the water within itself as opposed to allowing it to run toward the walls of the house. Furthermore, it’s best to leave a 6-inch gap between your mulch and siding so that any excess water doesn’t wick up and into the exterior siding of your home.

2. Direct rainwater spouts away from the house. In the event of a rainstorm, your drainage spouts work to keep water flowing freely off of your roof and away from your exterior paneling. However, it’s important to extend these downspouts as much as possible to keep any outside flooding from building right next to your home. 

3. Use grass or rock formations as barriers. If your family has experienced countless flooding problems in your basement, cellar or even surrounding your doorways, it helps to create a landscaping barrier in areas that are prone to excess water buildup. Incorporate added grass to help absorb and block, or enhance the space with a decorative rock path to break up the runoff and keep it from collecting.

While outside flooding isn’t always preventable, there are certainly ways to help prevent excess water from building around the exterior of your home. These three methods can be useful in safeguarding your property without taking away from the beauty of your landscape. For more information give us a call! (574) 936-5849.

SERVPRO Knows How To Handle Flooding After Storms

4/5/2022 (Permalink)

SERVPRO of Marshall, Starke, Pulaski & Fulton County specializes in storm and flood damage restoration.  Our crews are highly trained and we use specialized equipment to restore your property to its pre-storm condition.

Faster Response

Since we are locally owned and operated, we are able to respond quicker with the right resources, which is extremely important. A fast response lessens the damage, limits further damage, and reduces the restoration cost.

Resources to Handle Floods and Storms

When storms hit of Marshall, Starke, Pulaski & Fulton County, we can scale our resources to handle a large storm or flooding disaster. We can access equipment and personnel from a network of 1,650 Franchises across the country and elite Disaster Recovery Teams of Marshall, Starke, Pulaski & Fulton County that are strategically located throughout the United States.

Have Storm or Flood Damage? Call Us Today at 574-936-5849

Oh My Oh My! Water & Thunder & Lightening

3/30/2022 (Permalink)

Every summer, the U.S. goes through an “active weather” season. The middle of spring through summer is a prime time for hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, thunderstorms, and fires. Here at SERVPRO, we’ve already begun to see the impact of the severe weather. In Indiana, we have already experienced a massive amount of rain, not to mention a few thunderstorms! Luckily, our SERVPRO team is here for any natural disaster. We respond to water, wind and fire damage! Here are some weather events to look out for during the spring and summer months:

• Hurricanes–Hurricanes, with the accompanying wind, water, and flood, cause a lot of destruction in areas where they hit. When hurricanes gather strength, buildings, trees, and water infrastructures are commonly destroyed. The storms can also knock down power lines, posing a risk of electrocution.
• Tornadoes– Tornadoes are characterized by whirling winds and debris and can endanger life and property. They are common from spring until the middle of summer but can occur any time of the year.
• Floods– Floods are becoming more common in the U.S., with flash floods as the top weather-related killer. A few inches of water could bring extensive damage to homes and buildings. Heavy rains, levee breaches, and tsunamis cause floods. Many floods occur in areas that cannot absorb rainwater.
• Fires– The heat of the summer and the years of drought experienced in many parts of the country can precipitate massive forest fires that, in many instances, affect dwellings. Spontaneous combustion, volcanic eruption, and faulty electrical wires are other common causes of fires.

Call SERVPRO of Marshall, Starke, Pulaski & Fulton Counties if you are ever in need after a natural disaster! We can help make it "Like it never even happened."

Ask The Experts: Should I contact a professional for flood damage?

6/6/2021 (Permalink)

Surviving a flood on your property should always be the first step, dealing with what gets left behind can come later. However, cleaning and restoration are often overwhelming for most homeowners to tackle on their own. You need the right tools, equipment, and resources to treat flood damage in your home correctly and be aware of the possible health risks involved in the work.

Floods can be emotionally and physically exhausting. However, as soon as you get word from local authorities about receding water flow and receive an all-clear about returning to your home after a flood, contact a restoration company. Flood damage in your home only gets worse the longer you wait, get help documenting the damage and start on your home's recovery right away.

Just remember, never enter your home alone. Have a qualified professional with you that can help you avoid causing further damage and any possible hazards that might exist. Flood waters often drag anything and everything along with it, causing contamination to be a primary concern. Without the proper equipment, you can expose members of your family to biological and chemical waste.  

SERVPRO helps you get debris and damaged household goods out of your home quickly and efficiently. With an expedited debris removal process, items that would otherwise sit on your lawn for weeks, or even months, get hauled away immediately under normal circumstances. It also gives our technicians the room they need to begin work on the inside of your home.

SERVPRO gives you a better chance of restoring furniture, appliances, electronics, and personal belongings caught up in the event. Your refrigerator, washer/dryer, air conditioner, stove, water heater, dishwasher, television, computer, stereo, telephone, lamps, and other household goods may not be as damaged as you might think. Each can benefit from an inspection provided by a qualified professional.
SERVPRO has access to water extraction and drying equipment of all shapes and sizes, which allows us the opportunity to get water out of your home faster than ever before. Infrared moisture detectors, hygrometers, air-movers, drying, cleaning, deodorizing and disinfecting after a flood has never been more manageable.
 
Call SERVPRO for flood damage mitigation and restoration services throughout the Marshall, Starke, Pulaski and Fulton County area.

Ask The Experts: Is it dangerous to clean up after a flood?

6/6/2021 (Permalink)

When flood damage originates from a storm, we usually classify the waters as either gray or black and handle them with safety protocols based on that classification. Whichever category the standing water in your home falls into does not depend solely on the color or visual appearance of the water, but also on the contents of it and any debris contained within. Here is a brief overview of what goes into each classification, and what each one can mean for your home.

Black Water

Black water is the most severe category of floodwater and is what we deal with most often for cases of flood damage that result from a storm. Black water is any water heavily contaminated with dirt, debris, microorganisms, chemicals, and many more hazardous substances. Most of the time, this type of water should be easy to identify with a dark brown or black color and murky appearance, but heavily contaminated water can sometimes appear gray or even somewhat clear in certain lighting conditions. Wait for a SERVPRO professional to evaluate the situation before you conclude what type of water is in your home. If you do find standing black water anywhere in the building, avoid the room or area in question until one of our technicians can provide you with safety advice. This type of water can be highly dangerous, so be very cautious around it.

Gray Water

Less commonly, SERVPRO technicians may identify floodwaters in your home as gray water, which is a category of water that still contains contaminants but is not as immediately dangerous or severe as black water. However, gray water can still harbor dangerous microorganisms and rapidly develop into black water as these organisms grow and multiply. Be very cautious around all standing water on your property, and avoid entering pools of water without the express permission of our personnel.

The Importance Of Being Prepared

5/1/2021 (Permalink)

Between tornadoes and flooding and fires, the amount of natural disasters that have been occurring left and right has been dizzying. While our team here at SERVPRO of Marshall, Starke, Pulaski, and Fulton counties offers free services for businesses to create an Emergency Preparedness Profile, we wanted to highlight important basic items you might need if you and your family happened to be caught in a natural disaster. 

You never know when disaster might strike—Don’t let it catch you off guard.

With help from Ready.gov, we were able to compile a list of important things that even can save your life in the event of an emergency. Be sure to remember specific things that your family might need, like medications, epi-pens, and even pet food!

Assembling Your Kit

When you assembler your kit, make sure to store items in airtight plastic bags and keeping everything in plastic bins. This makes them easy to carry, and easily accessible.

A basic emergency supply kit could include the following recommended items:

• Water - one gallon of water per person per day for at least three days, for drinking and sanitation
• Food - at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food
• Battery-powered or hand crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert
• Flashlight
• First aid kit
• Extra batteries
• Whistle to signal for help
• Dust mask to help filter contaminated air and plastic sheeting and duct tape to shelter-in-place
• Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation
• Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities
• Manual can opener for food
• Local maps
• Cell phone with chargers and a backup battery

Additional Emergency Supplies

Consider adding the following items to your emergency supply kit based on your individual needs: 

• Prescription medications
• Non-prescription medications such as pain relievers, anti-diarrhea medication, antacids or laxatives
• Glasses and contact lense solution
• Infant formula, bottles, diapers, wipes, diaper rash cream
• Pet food and extra water for your pet
• Cash or traveler's checks
• Important family documents such as copies of insurance policies, identification and bank account records saved electronically or in a waterproof, portable container
• Sleeping bag or warm blanket for each person
• Complete change of clothing appropriate for your climate and sturdy shoes
• Household chlorine bleach and medicine dropper to disinfect water
• Fire extinguisher
• Matches in a waterproof container
• Feminine supplies and personal hygiene items
• Mess kits, paper cups, plates, paper towels and plastic utensils
• Paper and pencil
• Books, games, puzzles or other activities for children

Maintaining Your Kit

After assembling your kit remember to maintain it so it’s ready when needed:

• Keep canned food in a cool, dry place
• Store boxed food in tightly closed plastic or metal containers
• Replace expired items as needed
• Re-think your needs every year and update your kit as your family’s needs change.

Kit Storage Locations

Since you do not know where you will be when an emergency occurs, prepare supplies for home, work and vehicles.

If you find yourself the victim of a disaster, give us a call at 574-936-5849.

Ask The Experts: The Importance of Generator Safety

4/7/2021 (Permalink)

If you have a generator on hand for power outages during severe weather storms, follow the safety tips below from the American Red Cross:

Never use a generator, grill or camp stove, or other gasoline, propane, natural gas, or charcoal-burning devices inside a home, garage, basement, crawl space, or any partially enclosed area.

To avoid electrocution, keep the generator dry and do not use in rain or wet conditions. Do not touch the generator with wet hands.

Opening doors or windows and using fans will not prevent carbon monoxide (CO) buildup in the home. Although CO can’t be seen or smelled, it can rapidly lead to full incapacitation and death.

Even if you cannot smell exhaust fumes, you may still be exposed to CO. If you start to feel sick, dizzy, or weak while using a generator, get to fresh air immediately.

Install CO alarms in central locations on every level of your home or property and outside sleeping areas to provide early warning of accumulating carbon monoxide.

If your home or business suffers from any type of storm damage, call SERVPRO of Marshall, Starke, Pulaski & Fulton and we will send a professional out to assist with getting your property back to its original state as soon as possible.

SERVPRO Tips: Summer storms are coming in Marshall, Starke, Pulaski and Fulton...Are you ready?

5/27/2020 (Permalink)

Every summer, the U.S. goes through an “active weather” season. The middle of spring through summer is a prime time for hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, thunderstorms, and fires. Here at SERVPRO, we’ve already begun to see the impact of the severe weather. In Indiana, we have already experienced a massive amount of rain, not to mention a few thunderstorms! Luckily, our SERVPRO team is here for any natural disaster. We respond to water, wind and fire damage! Here are some weather events to look out for during the spring and summer months:

• Hurricanes–Hurricanes, with the accompanying wind, water, and flood, cause a lot of destruction in areas where they hit. When hurricanes gather strength, buildings, trees, and water infrastructures are commonly destroyed. The storms can also knock down power lines, posing a risk of electrocution.
• Tornadoes– Tornadoes are characterized by whirling winds and debris and can endanger life and property. They are common from spring until the middle of summer but can occur any time of the year.
• Floods– Floods are becoming more common in the U.S., with flash floods as the top weather-related killer. A few inches of water could bring extensive damage to homes and buildings. Heavy rains, levee breaches, and tsunamis cause floods. Many floods occur in areas that cannot absorb rainwater.
• Fires– The heat of the summer and the years of drought experienced in many parts of the country can precipitate massive forest fires that, in many instances, affect dwellings. Spontaneous combustion, volcanic eruption, and faulty electrical wires are other common causes of fires.

Call SERVPRO of Marshall, Starke, Pulaski & Fulton if you are ever in need after a natural disaster! We can help make it "Like it never even happened."