Hurricane Proof Your Home From Water Damage

With news of Tropical Storm Isaac possibly making its way towards Florida this weekend, Florida residents are being urged to get prepared with 72 hours worth of supplies and an evacuation plan.
For further reading, please see Hurricane Evacuation Kit and Prepare for Hurricane Damage: Make an Emergency Plan.  Also, Make sure you have a safety and evacuation plan ready for your pets and livestock.

With the possibility of having to evacuate and thus leave your home, it is important to know what you should do before you have to leave.

1. Each hurricane is different so you should always be prepared for the worst.

2. Know your insurance policy. Do you have flood coverage? What valuables so you have inside your home and are they covered.  Make sure your insurance documents are with you in your Evacuation Kit.

3. Bring in all items from the outside or your yard.  If you tie items down, the weather could be strong enough to break ties and your items could go flying and potentially do some serious damage.
4. Quickly trim any tree branches or shrubs that are near your home.  If branches break, short branches that are away from your home are less likely to fly into your property.

5. Clean your gutters and drains to help prevent flooding during the long bouts of heavy rain that often accompany hurricanes.

Read tips 6 to 11 here: Hurricane Proof Your Home From Water Damage

247 Water Restoration wants you to stay safe and be prepared.  If you need help with any hurricane preparedness or water damage prevention, contact us today.

Hurricane Planning: As The Storm Approaches

With the news of Tropical Storm Isaac possibly making way towards Florida next week, we though we’d share some ways you can prepare for an ensuing storm or hurricane.  These tips apply to both home and business owners and can help you protect your property from flooding and water damage.

1. Listen for Weather Updates on local stations, internet weather channels like weather.com or http://www.nhc.noaa.gov and on NOAA Weather Radio. Don’t trust rumors and stay tuned to the latest information.
   
2. Check Your Disaster Supplies Kit at work. Obtain any needed items. Contact employees and instruct them to do the same at their homes.  Make sure you have supplies for all of your family members and pets.
   
3. Instruct Employees to Refill Prescriptions and to maintain at least a two week supply during hurricane season.  Do the same for you and your family.

4. Clear Your Property and/or tie down any items that could become flying missiles in high winds such as lawn furniture, potted plants and trashcans.

5. Protect Windows and Glass Doors. If you do not have impact resistant windows, install shutters or plywood to cover the glass. Brace double entry and garage doors at the top and at the bottom.  Check out Hurricane Proof Your Windows for more info.

Read the remaining six tips here: Hurricane Planning: As The Storm Approaches
If you need any more information on how to protect your home or business from hurricane damage, please contact us at 1-800-DRY-ME-OUT.

Hurricane Wake Up Calls - Be Prepared for Water Damage in Clearwater Florida

I remember when I first moved to Clearwater, Florida. My first concern was “hurricanes”! What would I do? Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, hurricanes were rarely a thought. I was assured by friends that because of the way Pinellas County was situated, and the Tampa Bay in general, that we were in some sort of protective vortex. Sure, we might get the backlash of storms but we would rarely see the true water damage and flooding caused by hurricanes. And then we had Tropical Storm Debby in June of 2012 and that was close enough for comfort. Severe storms, flooding, flood damage – all resulting in weeks of water mitigation and restoration throughout the Tampa Bay, even in my sweet home of Clearwater. Often, even if people live in a hurricane prone area, after a tropical storm or hurricane passes thought, they go through a state of shock. We just can’t believe it happened! To us! Here! These moments of reflection are a sign of danger because we are often lulled into complacency and the belief that the chances are so small that we don’t really need to make the serious preparations we often hear we should. Read the entire article: Hurricane Wake-Up Calls & Water Damage in Clearwater, Florida Water Restoration Clearwater provides 24/7 flood damage and mitigation services to West Coast Florida. www.WaterRestorationClearwater.com