When seeking flood restoration services, the Better Business Bureau warns storm victims to practice caution when hiring a contractor. After experiencing a flood, you may find people you do not know knocking at your door offering discounted flood repair services. These individuals may not be legitimate contractors, but will claim FEMA or your insurance company sent them to your home or business. When done incorrectly, flood repair can result in the growth of dangerous molds, structural damage to a building, rot, the harboring of disease-carrying microorganisms and ongoing damage to wet contents.
Before Hiring a Flood Restoration Specialist
The truth behind the flood restoration process is that it is generally expensive and may take several days to complete, depending on the extent of the water damage you experience. Quick fixes may end up costing you more in the end. The cost of hiring a legitimate disaster recovery company will ultimately save you time and money.
Before hiring a flood restoration specialist, do the following to avoid falling victim to a scam:
Talk to your insurance agent to learn if your insurance policy helps cover the cost of a disasterrecovery service.
Check with the BBB to learn about flood restoration specialists that have received good reviews.
Get all contractor estimates in writing and seek at least three bids.
Require the profession give you all guarantees in writing and a contract before the work begins.
Ask the contractor for proof of general liability insurance and call the insurance company listed on the documents provided to make sure the contractor has an active policy.
Check with your local construction contractor’s board or department of labor to make sure a contractor registered his business with the state.
Avoid contactors who come to you unsolicited and try to pressure you into hiring their services, require a full payment upfront or require you to obtain permits to complete work.
Only issue the final payment for flood restoration work after a contractor finishes the job.
If your area was affected by a disaster, FEMA officials suggest you register for disaster assistance available even if you are not sure you qualify. This statement comes in response to nearing deadline in Cullman County, Alabama, where FEMA’s Nate Custer told the Cullman Times, “…Even if you are uncertain if you need or qualify for assistance, it’s important to register.”
The Importance of Registering
It is common for people who live in a disaster-affected area to believe that they do not qualify for assistance because they do not find any immediate problems with their homes or because they are able to live with friends or family members. However, homeowners often find damage within weeks of a disaster. Likewise, living arrangements with loved ones sometimes do not work out well. FEMA deadlines allow you to register yourself so you are in the system in the event you need to file a claim or ask a question.
FEMA often has resources available to those who experienced a disaster and register on time. For example, Custer states that FEMA can help a family secure a rental unit while their home undergoes the restoration process. Additionally, manufactured homes are available as a temporary living solution based on preference or if rental units are not available. Additional services include homeowner grants and business loans from the Small Business Association. However, an individual must register with FEMA by the deadline to access such services.
Where to Register
While FEMA often has physical sites where residents can register for assistance, individuals can also register online at DisasterAssistance.gov or over the phone by calling (toll-free) 1-800-621-3362.
Even if you think you are not eligible for disaster assistance, register and find out for certain. The funds provided by FEMA can help you recover from a flood or another disaster so your life can get back to normal.
June 4, 2011 was a devastating morning for buildings surrounding a vacant building at 816 Washington Avenue in Brooklyn, New York. Over 100 firefighters fought a four-alarm fire that sent six to the hospital and torched neighboring businesses. Of the Prospect Heights businesses affected by the fire, two include a coffee shop and a cell phone retailer.
The Coffee Shop
Struggling to make ends meet, the young owner of the coffee shop thought she could save some money by not paying her commercial insurance bills. She discussed this option with her parents, from whom she sought advice, and they convinced her that this was a bad idea. She took their advice and paid the bills. While the damage to the coffee shop seemed minimal, the expenses to replace the windows the firefighters broke, the water damage clean up and the smoke damage and recoverycould have easily tanked this business if the owner did not have the proper insurance coverage to pay for the restoration services.
The Cell Phone Retailer
While it had the proper insurance coverage, the cell phone retail store suffered a massive amount of water damage, which poses a potential moldhazard. The building needs large-scale restoration and the owners do not know the status of their store’s structural integrity. Therefore, the owners do not know when they can open for business again. In an interview for the website Prospect Heights Patch, the shop owner stated, “It’s like you wake up one morning and you don’t have a business anymore. Devastated. That’s exactly how you feel. It’s a hardship, we have families, we have newborns to feed, and then you have to deal with this.”
What was missing for the cell phone storeowners was a business continuity plan—a plan that outlines how to keep a business going in an event such as this. Fires, water damage and natural disasters are among the top killers of small businesses when the owners do not have a plan to recoverbefore an incident occurs. While one cannot always prevent a disaster from happening, one can prevent the need to suffer through the hardships that may follow.
In a press release today, FEMA announced that Kentucky business owners directly affected by the April 22 to May 20 storms, tornadoes and floods might be eligible for Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA). The DUA is a special unemployment compensation program for those who do not qualify for standard unemployment assistance through their state.
Assistance Eligibility
If you are a Kentucky business owner, in order to qualify, one of the following situations must apply to you:
You cannot run your business because of the floods, storms or tornadoes.
You cannot reach your business because of “disaster-related travel disruptions.”
You cannot work because you sustained a disaster-related injury.
You cannot operate your business or work because the storms damaged your building.
You live or own a business in one of the 17 Kentucky counties eligible for Individual Assistance through FEMA and the Kentucky Division of Emergency Management.
Disaster Assistance Filing Dates
June 24, 2011: for Boyd, Crittenden, Graves, Hardin, Hickman, Jefferson, Marshall, McCracken, Livingston, Union and Webster counties
To be determined: for Ballard, Daviess, Henderson, Lawrence, McLean and Pike counties
FEMA states:
“Unemployment payments up to 26 weeks are available for workers who temporarily lost jobs because of the storms and who don’t normally qualify for unemployment insurance benefits, such as farmers and self-employed individuals.
“Applications can be submitted at a local Office of Employment and Training. When filing a claim, self-employed individuals should bring a copy of their 2010 income tax return. Other applicants need a photo identification card and their Social Security number.
“Joint damage assessments continue in other counties and additional counties may be added for IA. Residents that suffered storm and flood related damage are encouraged to document and photo the damage and keep any repair receipts. Please report any damage to your local emergency management.”
Without a business continuity plan, a storm can shut down your operations for good if you are not prepared. Your continuity plan should also include what to do after a storm.
An accidental grease fire in the former courthouse and First National Bank in Cadiz, OH on May 6, 2011 left a historical building in ruins, four tenants homeless and a store out of business. Today, owners Tom and Vicki Cole report that they want to restore the building in spite of the fire damage.
Official suspect the eight-alarm fire started when a tenant in the building left potatoes frying on her stovetop and walked away to chat with a neighbor. Firefighters used over 100,000 gallons of water to extinguish the blaze, which caused extensive water damageto the second and third stories of the building. Additionally, a gap in the roof left by the fire allowed rain to pour in and add to the excessive moisture already in the historic building, causing mold damage.
Wanting to preserve the town’s historical connection to the old courthouse, the Coles plan to shrink-wrap the building to protect it from further water damage. Tom Cole states the shrink-wrap material is made out of a polyurethane material that professionals will stretch over the entire roof after crews place boards over the windows. After wrapping the roof, the Coles will work on clearing the burned debris and restoring the burned building even though they are not sure how they will use it, as they did not have a business continuity plan in place.
When seeking flood restoration services, the Better Business Bureau warns storm victims to practice caution when hiring a contractor. After experiencing a flood, you may find people you do not know knocking at your door offering discounted flood repair services. These individuals may not be legitimate contractors, but will claim FEMA or your insurance company sent them to your home or business. When done incorrectly, flood repair can result in the growth of dangerous molds, structural damage to a building, rot, the harboring of disease-carrying microorganisms and ongoing damage to wet contents.
