Recent Storm Damage Posts
Tips for Sheltering in Place During a Hurricane
1/9/2023 (Permalink)
Check your local TV stations for urgent updates on the storms status
Hurricane season is no time to mess around. A shelter-in-place hurricane plan can help you stay safe if you get caught in a storm. Here are some steps you can take to make sure your family is prepared for what's ahead:
Check and Charge Batteries
The first thing you should do is make sure your battery-powered devices are fully charged. This includes a battery-powered radio or television, phone charger and lantern, flashlight, and radio.
Have a Plan for Charging
Knowing what you can do to charge your devices before the hurricane hits is crucial. Have a plan for charging your devices as soon as it's safe to do so, and know where you can charge them.
If there is no power, have a backup plan for charging your devices in the event of an outage. You may need to use car batteries or generators to create a power source for these devices.
Make Sure You Can Receive Timely Alerts
There are several ways to get the latest news, alerts, and weather information during a hurricane:
Check your local radio stations for updates.
Check your local emergency alert system (EAS). Some areas use EAS to broadcast emergency messages, such as evacuation notices or shelter-in-place directions.
Check your local TV stations' websites and social media feeds for urgent updates on the storm's status and its impact on your area. You may also want to consider subscribing to email newsletters from these sources so you don't miss any important announcements when they're made.
Read the latest news online via online newspapers, which usually have dedicated hurricane coverage teams that work around the clock during major storms or natural disasters like floods or wildfires to bring their readers up-to-date information about what's happening with each one without having them constantly checking back every five minutes throughout those events just waiting for something new because nothing was happening before but now there is!
Stay Up To Date
In the event of a natural disaster, it's important to be prepared and stay informed. Listen to battery-powered radio or television for information on shelter locations, evacuation routes, and emergency relief efforts. You may lose power during the storm or have problems with your cell phone service after the storm passes.
If you have difficulty locating a new shelter location or don't know where you will go after your home is flooded, listen to local radio stations and check local news websites for updates.
Have Cash on Hand
If the storm is especially bad, you won't be able to rely on the ATM for your financial needs. Make sure you have some cash on hand before the storm hits in case there are no ATMs when things get back to normal again.
Cash will be necessary for buying food, water, and other supplies. It’s also helpful if you need to pay for emergency repairs or services after a natural disaster strikes—you can use cash as payment with local contractors while waiting for insurance companies to reimburse you later.
Seeking Shelter
If you are in a high-risk area and have time before the storm hits, identify one or more safe rooms in your home. The most important criterion for a safe room is that it is on the first floor and has no windows. If you have an interior stairway, it’s also ideal to include this as part of your sheltering plan—the top of the stairs should be well above flood levels if there is water damage to your house.
If you are in a two-story home, seek shelter on the lowest floor.
- Stay away from windows. If your house has a basement and/or storm cellar, move there quickly. If not, find a room with no windows or glass doors that can be closed.
- Check for loose objects such as lawn furniture or patio furniture that could fall on someone during high winds or falling debris. Also, look out for hanging pictures that may become dangerous projectiles if they break loose from their hooks on walls or ceilings (and don't forget to remove any valuable items).
- Find a room where you can get to the bathroom easily if necessary.
Be Prepared
The best way to prepare yourself is by learning what needs to happen before, during, and after the storm hits your area so that when the time comes you'll know exactly what steps need to be taken and how to do them.
We hope that these tips will help you prepare for the next hurricane. Remember to stay safe and give SERVPRO of Lake Conroe a call if your Conroe,TX home is hit by a hurricane.
4 Flood Safety Tips
9/2/2022 (Permalink)
Prepare your basement.
Flood Safety Tips
A flood is a common, yet destructive, natural disaster. When there is too much water for the ground to handle, it can rapidly accumulate, causing extensive property loss in a matter of hours. According to recent estimates, floods cost the United States almost $8 billion in damages every year.
Severe weather events are increasing in frequency worldwide, mostly due to climate change. Although the risk of flooding can’t be completely eliminated in Willis, TX, you can help keep your home and family safe by following these flood safety guidelines.
1. Rethink Your Home’s Wiring
Many electrical outlets are installed near the floor. This location isn’t ideal, especially if you own a house in a flood-prone area. To plan ahead for a water disaster, consider hiring an electrician to move your outlets above potential flood levels.
2. Reconsider Where Items Are Stored
You shouldn’t store treasured items in the basement. Even basements that are typically dry could flood if enough water accumulates. Instead, move valuable belongings to higher floors.
Flood safety experts recommend that when “soft” items like mattresses, upholstered furniture and stuffed animals get wet, they should be replaced. Keep this in mind when determining your storage arrangements.
3. Prepare Your Basement
Since flooding usually begins in the basement, give yours a fighting chance by waterproofing and installing a battery-operated sump pump. Despite your best efforts, if your basement were to flood, a water restoration specialist can help get your home back in order.
4. Teach Children About Flood Safety
Natural disasters are alarming, but being prepared can help. First and foremost, families should have a clear evacuation plan that is regularly reviewed with the kids in the household. It’s also important to have an emergency kit handy with things like flashlights, food, batteries and clean drinking water.
Floods can cause extensive damage and emotional stress. By following these flood safety tips, you can minimize the threat to your family and property.
4 Tips for Staying Safe During a Flood
7/12/2022 (Permalink)
Do not travel through flood waters.
Stay Safe During a Flood
If you live in an area that often experiences severe weather and flooding, you should make flood safety a priority in your Conroe, TX home. Use the following tips to help keep you, your family and your home safe during a flood.
1. Make an Emergency Kit
Depending on the severity of the storm you are expecting, your emergency kit may vary from time to time. However, there are some items that should always be included, such as flashlights, radios and batteries in case the power goes out. Canned food and bottled water are good additions as well.
2. Have an Evacuation Plan
While an emergency kit can be helpful for less damaging storms, you need to know how to leave your home safely if the weather becomes a threat. Create a flood safety plan with your family that includes each member as well as any pets. Make sure to practice ahead of time so you are all familiar with the procedure.
3. Do Not Travel Through Flood Waters
If you do need to evacuate your home, only travel on roads that have not been flooded. Even if the waters look shallow, there may be road damage or debris lurking underneath. Depending on the speed and depth of the moving water, cars can be carried away resulting in a dangerous situation.
4. Have Your Home Cleaned As Soon As Possible
The need for flood safety does not end when the flood does. Flood waters can cause contamination and might make your family sick if it is not completely removed. If water from a flood has entered your home, it is a good idea to hire an emergency remediation service to help with cleanup as well as any necessary repairs. Throw away any food that has been in contact with the water.
It can be difficult to know what to do during an emergency situation. Keeping these safety tips in mind will be beneficial to you and your family the next time you find yourself expecting severe weather.
The Role of FEMA After a Storm
7/2/2022 (Permalink)
FEMA is here to help families recover from disasters.
FEMA's Role After a Storm
Powerful storms happen frequently in the U.S., from hurricanes that impact coastal areas to tornadoes that often hit the nation's Midwest to floods that damage homes along with major river systems. In nearly all of these situations, FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, is there to help families recover from disasters. The area has to be declared a federal emergency zone for the agency to provide assistance, where its role after a storm is to help citizens and emergency personnel respond to multiple challenges:
- Increase safety for all people
- Support the resources that lead to rescues
- Identify funds for recovery programs
The agency takes on a coordinating role, helping to manage the various parts of recovery. This includes a community of workers, lenders and businesses that make recovery possible.
An Effective Flood Response
When waters come into a home, the situation calls for an experienced water damage mitigation company located near the disaster in Cleveland, TX. This allows for a rapid response from highly-trained workers. The right company meets the criteria of FEMA for enacting a safe recovery by following established protocols. This includes water removal from the home, drying out of impacted materials and the restoration of damaged structures in the home. This response helps the individual family and the community recover from an overwhelming weather event.
A Comprehensive Approach to Flooding
Big disasters require the coming together of many different entities. The goal is to save lives, preserve property and help fund recovery, especially in situations where homeowners are uninsured or underinsured. Without this federal assistance, many families would face an uncertain future and might not have the resources to rebuild after a storm.
FEMA plays an important and often challenging role in keeping communities strong after a large disaster. By working with other parties, the agency looks to direct resources in the most effective manner possible.
Things to Avoid After a Flood
5/17/2022 (Permalink)
Storm damage in Conroe, TX.
The Aftermaths Of a Storm
If your home is flooded due to a storm in Conroe, TX, it needs to be taken care of as soon as possible to avoid further damage and mold growth. You should call a flood restoration team right away to deal with the floodwater. In the meantime, there are some things you should be aware of to keep yourself and your family safe.
Avoid Standing Water
Floods can occur when there are big storms with heavy rains and strong winds. These storms can cause power lines to fall, which can result in an electrical charge underground. Standing water may be electrically charged, so you should avoid areas that have standing water.
If you absolutely have to walk through standing water, always wear protective clothing, such as:
- Knee-high rubber boots
- Rubber gloves
- Protective overalls
Wearing these will help protect you against an electrical charge. You should also avoid touching any floodwater, as it can be contaminated with bacteria, chemicals and other pollutants.
Avoid Turning on electricity
Another way to avoid electrical accidents is to keep the electricity off if the storm caused the power to go out. Only turn it back on once the flood specialists tell you it is safe to do so.
Avoid Waiting too Long to Deal with a Flooded Home
You should start dealing with the flood water immediately to prevent further water damage. Mold can begin to grow in moist areas within 24 hours, so removing standing water and drying things out completely is imperative. The restoration team has pumps to quickly remove any standing water, and they also have powerful fans and dehumidifiers to dry things out fast.
Dealing with the aftermaths of a storm is not fun. Dealing with floods takes quick and thorough work to maintain the structure of your home and preserve as many personal items as possible.
Entering Your Home After a Storm, Hurricane, or Tornado
11/20/2021 (Permalink)
How Do I Enter My Home After a Hurricane?
Entering your home or business after severe storm damage can be risky… roofs can collapse, glass from shattered windows will be on surfaces and floors. Cleaning up after major storm damage can mean facing: contaminated water, animals and insects, splintered wood and sagging ceilings. It is best to let the professionals at SERVPRO of Lake Conroe, Magnolia, and Cleveland who are trained and certified to work in these storm damage environments handle the damage restoration. However, according to the American Red Cross, if you absolutely must enter your home or business, be sure to wear:
- Sturdy shoes or boots (no tennis shoes or flip flops)
Whether it’s for your home or for your business, for more information on storm damage restoration from SERVPRO of Lake Conroe, Magnolia, and Cleveland, click HERE.
We are here to help, Houston Area.
Source: Red Cross Online
Houston Hurricane Preparation
11/2/2021 (Permalink)
How to prepare my home for a hurricane
Brace your garage door to prevent more-extensive damage. Most garage doors are not reinforced, and when the wind gets into the garage, it creates a positive push at the same time that the wind swirling above the structure creates a negative pull. That push-pull combination can cause the roof to fly off. Find a kit that you can buy at home-improvement stores to brace your garage doors.
Secure your windows and doors. Broken windows can let in wind and rain, and they can also increase the pressure under the roof. Storm shutters provide the best protection, but boarding up windows when a storm is on the way can help, too. Make sure doors have several locking mechanisms so they don’t fly open; deadbolts are best. And it’s important to secure windows and doors at all sides of the home, not just the one facing the body of water where hurricanes could form because hurricanes can swirl in any direction.
To learn more about Storm Damage and SERVPRO of Lake Conroe, Magnolia and Cleveland, click here.
Source: Kiplinger
Contaminated Water after a Storm
7/6/2021 (Permalink)
Should you experience a flood in your home after a storm, our team of technicians will inspect your home or business to determine the appropriate plan of action for the type of water encountered.
Category 3: "Black Water"
Category 3 water is grossly contaminated and could cause severe illness or death if ingested and any contact should be avoided. Examples 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.
- May contain untreated sewage, harsh chemicals, and microbes
- Water from flooding rivers or sewer backup
24 Hour Emergency Service
Water contaminated with sewage backup should be considered an emergency situation and dealt with as quickly as possible. Our professional technicians at SERVPRO® of Lake Conroe, Cleveland, and Magnolia are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year for any emergency situations that arise. We have been a trusted name in safety and properly restoring homes and businesses for 15 years! We are here to help!
Protect Your Roof During a Hurricane
6/21/2021 (Permalink)
Inspect your roof. Consider hurricane straps to ensure your roof is bolted to the rest of your house. And inspect your roof tiles or shingles to make sure they are secure. Use roofing cement to fix any loose tiles to prevent them from becoming lethal projectiles during a storm and damaging the underlying roofing material. Seal any areas where wires enter the home, minimizing the chance of water damage during heavy wind and rain.
Protect your roof by trimming your trees. Broken limbs could land on your (or your neighbor’s) roof/house or become missiles that can break windows during a storm causing water damage inside your home.
If your home is damaged during a Houston area storm or hurricane, call the professionals at SERVPRO of Lake Conroe, Magnolia, and Cleveland We will work with your insurance and are here to help.
Source: Kiplinger
How to Use Sandbags to Prevent Flooding and Storm Damage in the Houston Area
6/10/2021 (Permalink)
Filling Your Sandbags
It is recommended that you use sand to fill your bags with, however if it is not readily available soil will work too. When filling your bags, you want to fill them just slightly more than half-full so they lay flatter, are easier to stack, and are lighter to move. Bags are much easier to handle if they are no more than 40 pounds when filled, although this may vary depending on the size of the bag (typical bags for sand-filling are 24-26 inches long by 14 inches wide).
Stacking Sandbags in the Conroe Area
One factor to keep in mind when protecting your home and property in the event of a flood is that sandbags are simply meant to divert water and debris away from the home, but do not create a water-tight seal. Proper placement will, however, significantly reduce the amount of water that seeps in.
First, you will need to prepare the site where the bags will be placed. You should clear the area where they’ll be placed by removing debris such as large sticks, ice, and snow etc. These may cause gaps in your structure. Your barrier won’t serve you any good if the ground is too slippery and your sandbags all slide away when the water flows so you need to be sure there is enough friction to keep them in place.
If your home has experienced flooding, please call SERVPRO of Lake Conroe, Magnolia, and Cleveland right away, as time is a factor. The professionals at SERVPRO of Lake Conroe, Magnolia, and Cleveland offer emergency services 24/7. Here to Help.
Source: Chainsaw Journal Jan 2020.
Storm Damage – Tree Limbs Through Windows
5/28/2021 (Permalink)
Trees in our yards are beautiful, necessary for clean air, help to prevent water damage to our homes, and provide the relief of shade. As healthy as a tree can be, often larger trees can have dead limbs that require trimming. When trees are not properly trimmed, dead limbs are very susceptible to breaking off during a storm, causing storm damage to our homes or places of business. SERVPRO of Lake Conroe, Magnolia & Cleveland has received multiple calls this storm season from homeowners in Montgomery and Willis who have suffered storm damage due to a tree limb through their window or roof. When this happens, it is important to board the roof or window as quickly as possible after the storms have passed and to call a SERVPRO of Lake Conroe, Magnolia & Cleveland remediation crew right away.
If your home is damaged during an area storm, call the professionals at SERVPRO of Lake Conroe, Magnolia & Cleveland. Faster to Any Disaster
How to Set Up Weather Emergency Alerts on Your Phone
11/21/2020 (Permalink)
Search for "CMAS" or "WEA" in your phone's messaging settings. You can also dial "##2627##" (minus the quotes) on your phone to turn them on.
If neither of these do the trick, you might not have a phone that is WEA enabled. That's OK, though. You can still get emergency weather alerts with weather apps like the Weather Channel app or WeatherUSA.
WeatherUSA sends out real-time alerts to you every time there’s any weather-related warning in your area. They send these alerts out whenever they are released by any federal agency, including the National Weather Service. These alerts are sent across to the subscribers via SMS or email. You can choose to add your county or state for the local weather warnings.
For Android users, To meet the FCC standards, Android introduced “Emergency Broadcasts” features in all its mobiles. Through this service, you can get severe weather alerts instantly. Apart from these alerts, this feature also sends out an alert whenever there’s any emergency in your area.
And don't forget to save the phone number for SERVPRO of Lake Conroe, Magnolia, and Cleveland in your cell phone so it's easily available should your home encounter storm damage: (936) 441-8550
Source: USA Today Online
What Secondary Damage can occur after Storm Damage?
11/5/2020 (Permalink)
After roof leaks or flood damage, if not properly dried and treated, a home or business can develop mold from the moisture left on: wood, tile, carpeting, windows, concrete, and/or other materials/items that were affected. SERVPRO of Lake Conroe, Magnolia & Cleveland strives to prevent secondary damage every time we remediate water damage. Building material and flooring are dried and treated to prevent mold and other allergens/contaminates using specialized equipment and cleaning products.
If water damage is not properly treated, the perfect environment is created for mold spores to grow in your home and to contaminate the air.
Should you ever suffer water damage due to: excessive rain, storm damage, leaky roof, flood damage, a water heater leak, sink overflow, fire, refrigerator leak, or any other reason water has invaded your home or business, please know that SERVPRO of Lake Conroe, Magnolia & Cleveland is here to help. Faster to Any Disaster.
Which Sandbags to Use for Flooding and Why
6/22/2020 (Permalink)
When the threat of flooding is close to your home or business, sandbags become as valuable as gold, yet they are pretty cheap. There have been advancements with sandbags, thanks to water-activated sandbag which mimic the ability of real sand bags. Yes, these "water activated sandbags" cost more, but are much quicker to implement in the case of a flood so the cost is small comparatively.
Sandbags for flooding are very important to have on hand if you live in an area prone to flooding. It is not advised to use other bags that are not intended for use as sandbags as they may not be as effective. Sandbags are constructed for the use of containing sand or soil to prevent or reduce the impact of water damage in the event of a flood. They are typically made with woven polypropylene or burlap sacks. Plastic garbage bags are slick and will not create a sturdy structure when stacked. Feed sacks, although made of similar materials to sandbags, are usually heavy and large and are therefore not practical for handling.
If your home or business has experienced a flood, please call the professionals of SERVPRO of Lake Conroe, Magnolia, and Cleveland right away – open 24 hours for emergency services and here to help!
Source: Chainshaw Journal. Jan 2020.
Emergency Weather Alerts for Your Smartphone
5/29/2020 (Permalink)
Emergency alerts on your smartphone are a proven lifesaver.
Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) can save your life. Here's how it works: when the National Weather Service issues an urgent alert for a storm in your location, the system looks to see which cell phone towers are included in the storm’s area. All cell phone towers within the warning area send out an instant emergency alert to WEA-enabled devices. The alert plays the classic emergency alert tone and pushes a notification to your screen.
The great benefit to these alerts is that they only go off if you're in the area affected by hazardous weather. This helps remedy the problem of receiving false alarms for storms dozens of miles away on the other side of your county. If you receive an emergency alert on your smartphone, you know you need to take immediate action to keep yourself and your family safe. Wireless Emergency Alerts are pushed out for tornado warnings, flash flood warnings, hurricane warnings, dust storm warnings, extreme wind warnings, and local dangers such as AMBER Alerts and evacuation orders.
Source: Forbes November 2018
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