When to Call a Disaster Restoration Company 

Disasters, be it flood, fire, or earthquakes, often strike when least expected. If your property falls casualty, you should consult the services of professionals. Dealing with the aftermath of a disaster can be overwhelming, especially with the anxiousness that comes with this experience. While it is tempting to switch into damage control mode and handle everything yourself, doing this might lead to more problems. 

That said, call a disaster restoration company any time a major storm strikes, after a fire incident, flooding, or if you notice any other serious problem in your house. With the magnitude of this problem, it is important that you hire the right professionals. Below are the benefits of calling professional disaster restoration companies. 

Advantages of Calling Professional Disaster Restoration Company 

Better Skills, Training, and Experience 

Working with skilled experts assures expert inspection and better handling of the remains of the disaster. Fire and water incidences often leave a lot of damage that might be quite overwhelming to handle yourself. For instance, there are several details in cleaning, drying, and restoring your property after a flooding incident. 

You should know the best time to remove baseboards, inspecting damp insulations, and how to dry every surface quickly to prevent mold growth. Fortunately, the professionals have certification in handling various specialties, such as mold and bacteria removal and microbial remediation. 

Minimizes Damage and Costs 

Disaster restoration experts also help prevent further damages to your property. Immediate remediation done by professionals prevents continuous deterioration. For instance, you may overlook a soaked hardwood flooring that can later lead to significant structural damage. However, experts can assess and accurately determine the extent of damage to various components. 

That aside, professionals conduct a thorough inspection to identify materials that can be salvaged or restored. This allows them to undertake the restoration process cost-efficiently by minimizing replacement costs. Instead of removing and replacing various components, restoration contains the costs. However, if the only way out is replacement, restoration professionals won’t waste your time doing the impossible. 

Avoid Insurance Problems 

Most insurance companies decline claims from properties whose damage could be prevented. Most homeowners’ insurance policies have a clause requiring homeowners to take the necessary restoration measures after a given period. Your claim may be denied if you don’t adhere to the requirements of these policies. 

Special Equipment 

The success of any restoration process depends on the nature of the technology used. For instance, if your home suffered from water damage due to floods, the key to successful restoration is drying the building to the core. This requires powerful water extraction vacuums, high-capacity water pumps, strong blowers, powerful dehumidifiers, and HEPA vacuums, which you may not find them locally. 

Who Should You Call First After a Disaster? 

The first few hours after a disaster occurs are overly crucial. Therefore, you should know who to call to ensure a better outcome from this incident. That said, your disaster calls should be as follows; 

1. Prioritize Your Safety 

If your house isn’t safe due to fire or floods, you should prioritize your safety and that of other occupants. Disasters such as fire or floods weaken the structure of your house and expose your family to more danger. For instance, flooding may come into contact with electrical cables, exposing you and other occupants to the dangers of electric shock. 

Therefore, if possible, turn off the electricity and water supply in your home. If the breaker box isn’t in a safe area, leave the house and contact the nearest power company. Importantly, if you aren’t sure if the electricity is on, don’t enter the house. On the other hand, most people often struggle to salvage important possessions or documents, putting their lives at risk. 

2. Call Your Insurance Company 

Once you are safe, homeowners with home insurance policies should contact their insurance agents to file an insurance claim. Note that you shouldn’t re-enter or interfere with the aftermath of the disaster as it can affect the legibility of your insurance claim. For instance, don’t try vacuuming pooling water as you will interfere with crucial evidence that your home insurance company needs to complete your claim. 

Before assessing the damage or salvaging your possessions, work with an insurance agent to determine the next course of action. The agent may inquire about the source of damage, identify where the most damage occurred, and evaluate how the disaster left your property exposed. 

3. Contact Your Restoration Company 

After the assessment, the insurance agent may recommend a restoration company or ask you to select one of your preferences. Regardless, your insurance company and the disaster restoration company will work together towards returning your home to normalcy. 

Related Questions

What is a disaster restoration company?

A disaster restoration company is a company that specializes in water damage from roof leaks, burst pipes, and household flooding. These businesses also perform mold removal for damaged buildings such as homes or commercial properties. Water damage can be a minor inconvenience or it can cause major problems to your property if left untreated. Depending on the size of the water leak the damage can be extensive, so getting the water damage repaired as soon as possible is important.

Who pays for disaster restoration?

If disaster strikes your home, who pays for disaster restoration? If disaster strikes your home, the insurance company must pay to restore the house. As long as you have insurance and it’s been kept up to date. The insurance will cover the cost of disaster restoration so that your property is restored and makes you safe again. The disaster restoration company will often work directly with your insurance to make sure they take care of the problem and receive payment for completing the job.

What happens during a restoration?

Professional disaster restoration can include a variety of services. Some disaster restoration companies offer services only in disaster cleanup, while others will assist with housing relocation as well. The disaster recovery process begins with the disaster scene being cleared and the property inventoried. Then, any disaster damage is repaired or removed. Depending on the severity of the disaster, this could include a complete restoration or just disaster repair.

Once the disaster restoration has been completed, cleaning and deodorization can be performed to remove any odors left by water damage, fire damage, mold growth, etc. Depending on the disaster, this step may not always be necessary. For example, if there is significant damage from some type of disaster, the disaster restoration company will clean out all of your belongings and treat what can’t be saved. A disaster repair may not always include cleaning and deodorizing, but it could. It would depend on how badly damaged they are after the disaster event happens.

One of the disaster restoration steps is to ensure that all belongings have been removed. It is very important that disaster restoration companies complete this step and not skip it. For example, mold damage can get worse if disaster restoration companies do not completely remove all of the source of water. After water damage has occurred, disaster restoration should begin as soon as it is safe to enter the building or home.

A disaster restoration company should also provide you with a disaster remediation plan. This is an important document that specifies what disaster restoration services will be provided, how long the disaster repair will take and what disaster repair product will be used. It could even include details such as emergency response procedures in case of another disaster event.

The final step of disaster restoration is to ensure that the disaster damage has been removed and disaster repair work has been completed.

Conclusion

If a disaster strikes, don’t fret as you aren’t alone. Whether part of your property or the entire house has been damaged, you can count on the services of a professional disaster restoration company.