Hurricane Preparedness Week

5/8/2017 (Permalink)

Hurricane Preparedness Week is May 7 – 13, 2017. This week is your time to prepare for a potential land-falling tropical storm or hurricane. It only takes one storm to change your life and community. Tropical cyclones are among nature’s most powerful and destructive phenomena. If you live in an area prone to tropical cyclones, you need to be prepared. Even areas well away from the coastline can be threatened by dangerous flooding, destructive winds and tornadoes from these storms.

Determine Your Risk

Hurricanes bring many hazards to U.S. coastlines and inland areas, including storm surge along the coast, inland flooding due to heavy rainfall, tornadoes, strong wind, rip currents and large waves.

Develop an Evacuation Plan

Find out today if you liv in a hurricane evacuation zone. Plan where you’ll go and how you would get there. Leave immediately if ordered to evacuate and be sure to plan for your pets.

Assemble Disaster Supplies

Get your supplies before hurricane season begins. Have enough food and water for each person for at least one week. Be sure to fill your prescriptions and have medicine on hand. Radios, batteries and phone chargers are also must haves. Gas up your vehicle and extra cash on hand.

Get Insurance Checkup

Check in with your insurance agent well before hurricane season, remember that flood insurance must be obtained separately. Prepare your home/vehicles according to your policy, and know where your insurance documents are located – take them with you if you evacuate. Visit floodsmart.gov for more information. 

Strengthen Your Home

There is a lot you can do around your home to help protect it from the strong winds that come with hurricanes. Well ahead of the approaching storm, trim trees on your property, shop for approved window coverings, collect loose outdoor items, secure all doors on you property, and find a safe location for your vehicle.

Help Your Neighbor

Many people reply on the assistance of neighbors before and after hurricanes. Help your neighbors collect the supplies they’ll need before the storm. Assist them with evacuation if ordered to do so or check on them after it’s safe for you to head outside.

Complete your Written Plan

Writing down your plan will help you avoid mistakes when faces with an emergency and ensure everyone in your home is prepared for the next storm.

Air Quality in Your Home and Business

5/3/2017 (Permalink)

May 1 – 5 is Air Quality Week! The theme for 2017 is Be Air Aware. This includes topics such as: Wildfires, Asthma and Air Quality, Air Quality Trends, Air Quality Around the World, and Citizen Science.

Why is it important to be knowledgeable when it comes to indoor air quality? Indoor air often contains higher concentrations of hazardous pollutants than outdoor air; however, the good news is that everyone can reduce indoor air pollution.

According to the National Safety Council:

Over the years, buildings have been made more airtight to conserve energy. A variety of methods have been employed to keep the hot or cool air from escaping from our homes: installing storm windows and insulation; applying caulk and weatherstripping to seal cracks and other openings; and heating our homes with kerosene, wood, coal, and natural gas. Unfortunately, when we trap in hot or cool air, we also trap in pollutants and sometimes generate more.

On average, people spend about 90 percent of their time indoors. Sixty-five percent of that is spent at home. To make matters worse, those who are most susceptible to indoor air pollution are the ones who are home the most: children, pregnant women, the elderly, and those with chronic illnesses. Children breathe in 50 percent more air per pound of body weight than adults do. EPA studies have found that pollutant levels inside can be two to five times higher than outdoors. After some activities, indoor air pollution levels can be 100 times higher than outdoors.

Children may be more susceptible to environmental exposures than adults and, because of their developing systems, particularly vulnerable to their effects. Asthma is a case in point. About 4.2 million children in the United States, and more than 12.4 million people. A recent study, published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine concluded that 65 percent of asthma cases among elementary school-age children could be prevented by controlling exposure to indoor allergens and environmental tobacco smoke (ETS). By controlling biological contaminants (e.g., dust mites and cat allergens), asthma cases could be reduced by 55 to 60 percent.

Therefore, it is crucial to have your HVAC system in your company building and in your home professionally cleaned. This will reduce the circulation of dust, pollen and other contaminants that could affect people who are more susceptible to these effects.

SERVPRO of Richmond is professionally trained to thoroughly clean out air ducts and provide your family or company with clean air.

For more information, please visit: https://www3.epa.gov/airnow/airaware/

Prepare Your Home for Fall

11/1/2016 (Permalink)

Prepare Your Home for Fall

It is important to pay close attention the interior and exterior parts of your home to prepare for fall weather. This includes, colder temperatures and falling leaves. Take at look at this checklist to ensure your home is ready for whatever the fall weather brings.

Interior:

1. Check for drafts
2. Have your furnace inspected
3. Winterize AC
4. Programmable thermostat
5. Test home safety devices
6. Clean dehumidifiers

Exterior:

1. Do a roof check
2. Check the chimney and fireplace
3. Stock up on firewood
4. Inspect siding
5. Clean the gutters
6. Check water drainage
7. Reinforce windows and doors
8. Turn off faucets and store hoses
9. Service sprinklers and irrigation system
10. Inspect nearby trees
11. Trim landscaping
12. Bring in flowerpots
13. Plant bulbs
14. Leaf removal
15. Put away seasonal furniture
16. Close the pool
17. Organize the shed

Pre-maintenance to your home can help you save money and conserve energy in your home. It also prevents disasters from occurring like roof leaks from clogged gutters and drafts entering your home. Please contact SERVPRO of Richmond if you experience and water or fire emergency in your home.

ERP

9/20/2016 (Permalink)

Advantages of the SERVPRO Emergency READY Profile:

• A no-cost assessment of your facility.
• A concise Profile document that contains only the critical information needed in the event of an emergency.
• A guide to help get back into your building following a disaster.
• Establishes your local SERVPRO Franchise Professional as your disaster mitigation and restoration provider.
• Identification of the line command for authorizing work to begin.
• Provides facility details such as shut-off valve locations, priority areas and priority contact information.

Call SERVPRO of Richmond today to inquire about an Emergency Ready Profile for your facility! This free assessment of your building will help save you time in an event of a disaster and established SERVPRO of Richmond as your fire and water mitigation and reconstruction provider!