Disaster Recovery News

Graphic from the RMHC website

The Ronald McDonald House in Columbia, Missouri has had to shut its doors temporarily while water damage in the center’s basement is remediated. The Ronald McDonald House Charities provide support to families who need a home away from home while their children receive treatment at nearby hospitals.

When Water Damage Hurts More than Just the Business

The water damage occurred at the Columbia Ronald McDonald house after flooding due to heavy rains caused the sump pump in the basement to overflow. “The Columbia Daily Tribune” reports the basement served as a common area where visiting families would congregate, have access to computers and do their laundry. Offices and storage areas are also located in the basement of the facility. This particular Ronald McDonald House can house up to 14 families.

Hospital social workers are working with the families who do not have the means to pay for a hotel, but need accommodations. In the meantime, restoration crews and community volunteers are working hard to repair the water damage quickly so the Ronald McDonald House can continue to support families attending to the needs of their hospitalized children.

Keep Business Continuity in Mind

It is imperative that businesses create an emergency preparedness plan that includes steps that detail what to do in the event of water damage. Not only is this important for business continuity, but also for those a business may support.

Learn more about developing a plan for your business.

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.