Disaster Recovery News

Dangerous to your health and destructive to your belongings, mold spores are always in the air and summer can provide them with the right conditions to grow, especially if you do not have an air conditioner in your building. When it comes to this destructive fungal force, prevention is as important as its treatment, if not more.

Mold Prevention

• If you do not have an air conditioner in your home, regularly clean areas that experience humidity or condensation with a cleanser that contains bleach. Such areas include toilets and the floor around them, under sinks, around exposed pipes and windowsills.
• Always use the exhaust fans as you bathe or cook.
• Dry wet documents as soon as they experience water damage.
• Use a fan to circulate the air in the room so hot air does not stay trapped by your ceiling.
• If an area of your building gets wet, use fans and dehumidifiers to dry it out immediately. If you experience severe water damage, call a restoration specialist.
• Keep everything dry. Because mold thrives in moist conditions, eliminating them can keep mold at bay.

Damaged roofs and leaky pipes can also lead to mold damage, so if it becomes a recurring problem, have your home inspected by a professional.

Learn more about mold prevention.

[Image: Infrogmation]

In a recently settled class action lawsuit, Tenet Healthcare Corporation recently settled for $25 million. The number of individuals who participated in the lawsuit is unknown, but those in the class claimed that New Orleans’ Memorial Medical Center lack of emergency preparedness caused an unreasonable amount of harm when 2005’s Hurricane Katrina devastated the area.

The Real Cost

An article by ProPublica states that there were almost 1,000 individuals in the hospitals, not counting hospital staff. Out of this population, 187 of the individuals were patients. When the disasters caused by Hurricane Katrina occurred, the backup generators in the hospital failed and help in the form of rescue helicopters did not arrive until two days after the natural disaster. The article reports that the hospital sought the help of the Coast Guard, National Guard, several government and private ambulance companies and FEMA, but the response was frenzied. In the end, rescue workers found 45 bodies at the Memorial Medical Center.

Nation-Wide Unpreparedness

Hurricane Katrina opened the eyes of several health care systems. The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services reported in May 2011 that out of all of the hospitals that participated in the 2009 National Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP), only 76 percent of the hospitals met 90 percent of the all-hazards preparedness criteria. While this number is an improvement compared to 2005’s figures, only 85 percent of the more than 6,000 hospitals in the U.S. take advantage of and participate in the HPP.

What’s at Stake for Your Business?

Emergency preparedness and recovery is not just a topic medical centers need to consider, as all businesses are responsible for ensuring the well-being of those on their property if the unthinkable happens. Preparing for the worst can mean the difference between saving the lives or wishing you had taken the time to create an emergency disaster plan. If you are currently not prepared for a disaster, what would a devastating event cost you and your business?

Learn more about developing a plan for your business from the experts.

[Image: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center]

Thriving on matter that is moist, dead or decaying, mold can quickly turn a slightly wet document into an unsightly object thst you would not let your children approach. Mold is not an animal or a plant; it comes from the diverse and hearty fungi kingdom. In nature, mold is like a natural recycling system that helps break down decomposing organic matter like fallen leaves and timber. This zombie-like recycler, however, can do the same to your home and office when there is the slightest hint of moisture.

The Unwanted Guest

Invisible to the human eye, mold spores quickly travel through the air in hopes of finding moist or wet areas to call home and spread. You generally cannot see most molds until they begins to grow. With regular cleaning and sanitizing efforts, you can keep mold at bay around your windows and parts of a building that experience more moisture, like bathrooms or basements. An unexpected leak, burst pipe or a flood, however, can give mold the opportunity to run rampant throughout a building and destroy everything in its path, which could include your health if it produces mycotoxins.

When you experience water damage of any kind, take measures to dry out anything that got wet quickly and safely. If important documents, books or photographs experienced water damage, particularly if you run a business, it is best to call a document recovery specialist who can use the latest technologies to restore water-damaged items. Such items can include water-damaged blueprints, x-rays and large amounts of documents.

The first 48 to 72 hours after water or humidity damage occurs are the most crucial in salvaging the affected items. Talk to a disaster recovery specialist to learn about ways to prevent water and mold damage, as well as ways to take appropriate action after damage has occurred.

Learn about mold prevention.

[Image: Steven Kay]

When the rains clear and you do the regular inspections and maintenance on your business, the last thing you want to find are several pools of water in your crawl space or around your foundation, rot or black mold on the floor and wet documents. Your may want to immediately replace your flooring, but what you must do first is address your drainage problem or you will have repeat water damage problems.

Building Inspections

If your building has a crawl space, inspect it at least twice a year for water entry, flooding or decay. It is also a good idea to have a pest control service inspect the building for signs of critters that can cause structural damage.

Gutter Placement

While conducting a building inspection, make sure the gutters remain directed at least six feet away from the foundation. However, if you have a sloping yard or the business is on a hillside, you may need to extend the gutter drain further. While a runoff drains in the ground may not be your ideal business accessory, you may need to install them just under the surface of the building’s landscaping to prevent pooling. Burying a French drain around the perimeter of your building’s foundation down to the footing is an effective and discrete way to prevent water damage, rot and mold.

Landscaping

Your business’ landscaping may also be to blame for bad drainage. Yards that slope towards a building, mulch, loose rocks, weeds and topsoil near a foundation can direct runoff water and rain towards that area with the help of gravity. If this is a problem you encounter, consider using a heavy clay soil that you compact and slope as your first layer of landscaping can help prevent water from traveling towards your business. Additionally, make sure that concrete walkways, patios and driveways, as well as those made from pavers, slope to ensure proper drainage.

Sump Pumps

If your business is too low for a gravity-drained system to draw water away from the building, you may need to install an exterior sump pump. This will help raise and direct the water to a location where gravity will help drain the water away and prevent flooding.

Learn more about mold and water damage prevention.

[image: bats22]

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 disaster recovery 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.
• Learn about a contractor’s methods to remediate water damage and wet documents.
• 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.
• Never pay with cash; always use a check.

Learn more about disaster recovery.

[image: Courtney Walker]