Disaster Recovery News

FEMA, the United Way, and the city of Louisville, Kentucky are seeking volunteers to aid with the flood restoration process after Jefferson County was devastated by a flood on August 4, 2009. The hope is to attain 100 people to volunteer their time every day for the next two weeks.

The mayor of Louisville sent out this plea:

“I’m calling on our faith-based organizations to help clear and clean these homes for our citizens who cannot do it alone. Without swift action, mold may overtake homes and threaten the health of families.”

Metro United Way, which is coordinating the volunteer effort, is providing assistance to those who are unable to clean-up their homes in the aftermath of the flood. Louisville Metro Public Solid Waste will not be charging a fee for flood debris that has been left out for curbside pickup. For more information about debris pick-up, call MetroCall at 311.

FEMA is providing flood aid for the August 4 flood. One must first apply.

More on this story.

Flood restoration specialists can aid home owners and families dry-out personal belongings, restore wet photos, and help clean and prevent mold damage. They can also help businesses clean up and ensure rapid business continuity.

More on the flood restoration process.

Close to 300 homes in the Milwaukee, WI area on Friday afternoon had an unwanted visitor seep in to basements: backed-up sewage. The culprit is the overwhelmed municipal sewer system.

Residents, yet again, have to clean up foul-smelling mess that consisted of storm water and waste. The Milwaukee County medical examiner’s office also has to deal with the stink.

Residents report they have had problems with sewer back-ups in their homes since 2007, when new pipes were installed, and this year has been the worst. A resident says there waste was shooting out of his toilet as if it was a fountain that was supposed to shoot out murky water.

JS Online reports: “The massive amount of water seeped through cracks in the sewer laterals and main pipes, then flowed back into homes, often combining with sewer water. Any blockage in the laterals from homes to the main pipes compounded the problem.”

Some have received up to three feet of water at once since the time this problem began. Many have lost astonishing amounts of personal property that includes water heaters, furnaces, and other appliances that are typically kept on lower levels of a home.

More on this story.

Read how restoration specialists can help with this kind of mess and remediate damages caused by the foul waters.

As the Red River’s water levels begin to recede, residents of Fargo, North Dakota prepare to clean-up their communities and being the recovery process.

First, bags of sand and clay in the metro area will be removed next week. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will be in charge of the clean-up efforts and will be focusing on the arterial streets first. They will remove dikes that were built in the city and then move into the neighborhoods to do the same. After, crews will continue their clean-up efforts in neighborhoods that did not have dikes built. This process will continue ’round the clock, 24 hours a day, until all the dikes are removed.

Even though it only took about nine days to put up the sandbags and clay, it could take up to 2-3 weeks to remove them. Students from the local college and the Fargo School District will be contracted to help with the clean-up efforts.

More on the Fargo clean-up efforts.

Flooding is one of the most common natural disasters in the United States. When cleaning up after a flood, one does not have to throw away flood damaged documents, wet photos, or books.  Document restoration can help salvage these items and the same company that provides this type of service most likely will also be able to dry and restore other types of items damaged by flood waters.

Learn more about recovering after a flood.

The latest blow to North Dakota, after residents have scrambled to protect their homes and business from rising flood waters, are continued winter storms. The snow that has fallen could raise the levels of the rising rivers once it has melted.

The freezing temperatures, along with 30 mph winds, are weakening the levees that are holding the waters that are now well above flood-stage. Chunks of ice that have frozen in the river could hit the levees as they flow with the currents.

Engineers have recently discovered a crack in the dikes that they have been monitoring around the clock. The crack discovered has been checked-on every 15 minutes for significant weaknesses that could flood the city of Fargo. If this crack has grown, officials are prepared to call in the Army Corps of Engineers to evacuate the city. Corps officials are ready in a nearby parking lot.

More on this story.

Learn about recovering from a flood.

The states of Minnesota and North Dakota are seeking volunteers, reports the New York Times, as the Red River continues to rise past flood stage.

The river is already 18 feet above flood-stage in North Dakota and is expected to rise above 40-feet past flood stage by the end of the week. Officials are expected to need 1.9 million sandbags to aid with flood damage prevention. The San Francisco Gate reports:

“Gov. John Hoeven issued a statewide disaster declaration to help activate state resources and pave the way for federal aid. He said he has asked for help from the Army Corps of Engineers.

…Tuesday’s blizzard and above-average snowfall over the winter has set the stage for the flooding.

…Cities along the river already have declared flood emergencies to free up resources for flood fighting. Fargo has been planning a dike to protect City Hall and has ordered pumps to shore up low-lying areas.”

A flood planning meeting is scheduled for Monday, March 23, 2009 at 8:00 am at Fargo City Hall Commission Chambers. Visit the City of Fargo website for more information. The site also features the latest information about the latest flooding.

Learn about recovering from a flood. Find out how one can effectively restore wet property, prevent mold damage, and dry wet documents.

Before the worst happens in a flood, families should prepare emergency disaster plans and kits. Kits should include food, water, a flashlight, batteries, a list of important phone number, etc. It is also recommended that each vehicle have an emergency kit in it at all times as well. Read more.