Vacation coming up? Don’t Come Back to a Disaster!
wiltonconstruc • July 8, 2021
Relieve stress and Reduce the Impact of Hurricanes and Floods on Your Property
Mitigation can keep natural hazards, like hurricanes and flooding, from having disastrous impacts. Let’s look at a few tips and tricks for keeping your property safe and mitigating your risk and ease of mind when traveling during hurricane season.
First – KNOW Your Risk Factors!
Before you can mitigate risk, understand what you are protecting your property from. For example, if you live in a hurricane prone area, a flood plain, near an earthquake fault, etc., educate yourself and your loved ones about risk and have an emergency plan in place for when natural disasters occur. In Richmond, we know that multiple areas are prone toward flooding. Lakeside and the bottom are two examples.
Wind / Hurricanes Mitigation
- Before going away in Hurricane season, have your roof inspected! Some roofs are more susceptible to high wind than others. If your roof needs added bracing for reinforcement, it’s better to know that BEFORE you head on vacation! Let’s get a Roofing expert out to ensure all is well for your peace of mind!
- Consider having a roofing contractor install hurricane straps to your roof. Hurricane straps will help your roof stay firmly attached during a strong wind event. This is especially important for our friends living near large bodies of water where wind is particularly strong.
- Have garage doors? Might want to have a contractor reinforce them before you head out, just to make sure they don’t fail under strong winds!
- Before you leave, take a look around your property. Make sure to remove any loose debris like tree branches, roof shingles, furniture, etc.
- Power lines can always be an issue during a hurricane. Make sure you have been following standards about keeping those trees pruned around your power lines!
- If you are in a particularly bad area, might consider putting up hurricane shutters or impact resistant windows.
Flood Mitigation
Have a professional come out and inspect your home if you haven’t had that done recently. They may be able to reassure you that you are not at risk. If you have any vulnerable areas, they may suggest some of the following:
- Raising any mechanical units and electrical systems above the Base Flood Elevation.
- Installing floor vents in garages, foundation walls and other enclosed areas. Floor vents will allow water to drain out.
- Using flood-resistant materials in areas below the Base Flood Elevation to prevent water damage.
- Installing a back-flow valve in your sewer system to prevent sewer backup into your house.
- Adding waterproof veneer to exterior walls to prevent flooding from damaging the lower exterior of your home.
Nothing is worse realizing you have substantial storm damage and didn’t have a comprehensive wind or hurricane insurance in place to cover your property. Before you head on vacation, make a call to your insurance company and verify coverage just in case!
Learn more about our full line of mitigation services:
Our Emergency Preparedness Team is available for urgent assistance with tree removal, basement flooding and temporarily protecting your property and minimizing secondary disaster damage.
Our Fire Damage Restoration & Mitigation services can save your home from devastating destruction. Even the smallest of fires contained in a single room can cause significant damage to other surrounding areas due to smoke, soot and extinguishing chemicals.
After damage from sources such as a slow leaking toilet, sewage system failure, a roof leak or flooding after a severe storm, frozen pipes or fire extinguishing chemicals, the race against the clock begins to prevent mold, mildew and rot from seeping in.
Property owners may be left with fallen trees, wind and water damage to the exterior as well as interior of their home, a fire due to fallen electrical or gas lines, roof damage and so much more. Immediate recovery assistance is critical for the safety of your family, preventing additional damage and costly repairs.
Acts of vandalism to your family home or business are emotionally and financially devastating. Once your property is invaded and unsecured, your exposure to additional theft, vandalism, weather or animals entering becomes an immediate concern.
Our Emergency Response Team is ready to assist your family and business team with safety preparation. As you coordinate your family or employee communication plan, our professionals will be tackling critical items to keep your property as safe as possible.
Every second is critical when your bottom line is impacted by fire, water, or storm damage. With over thirty five years in the mitigation, restoration and commercial construction industry, our Estimating Team will work with your Insurance Company to expedite opening your doors.
The post Vacation coming up? Don’t Come Back to a Disaster! appeared first on Wilton Construction.
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