Disaster Recovery News

Mountain View Elementary School in Colorado’s Windsor School District experienced over $100,000 in water damage over the Thanksgiving holiday. The disaster caused the school to close its doors for three days to make sure the facility was safe for students before it re-opened its doors.

The Incident

The cause of the incident was due to a failed upgrade to the HVAC system. The roof damper of the unit remained open during the Thanksgiving weekend, and the allowed cold air to flow through the ductwork of the HVAC unit. Consequently, the cold air caused the heating coils to freeze and crack, spilling throughout Mountain View Elementary School’s ceilings. As a result, 22 classrooms experienced extensive water damage.

A schoolteacher discovered the water damage when she went to the elementary school on Sunday afternoon to prepare her lessons. She reported the damage, and the water damage restoration process began the same day. The items that experienced water damage include drywall, brickwork, ceiling tiles, carpeting, teaching materials, computers and other electronic equipment. Additionally, the school had to dry wet documents and wet books.

Read more about this story.

No Building is Immune to Water Damage

Water damage is so destructive because it is many times hard to predict when it will take place. For instance, Mountain View Elementary School had an upgraded HVAC system. Most individuals would trust the system to work properly, but sometimes the unexpected happens. Fortunately, the elementary school’s insurance policy covers flood damage and the school district had an emergency disaster plan in place.

Learn about how your business can recover from water damage. (more…)

It is National Fire Prevention Week. While much of fire safety focuses on tips for the home, it is also important to prevent fires at your business. Most business owners do not think about hazards they cannot control until it is too late. There are techniques offices can implement to prevent fires and get back on their feet when the unthinkable happens.

Office Fire Prevention

• Avoid overloading electrical outlets. Use several different outlets with surge protectors to prevent sparks from flying.
• Purchase fireproof file cabinets and safes. Place important documents and items in them so you do not lose them in a fire.
• Check the batteries in smoke alarms on a monthly basis, and replace the batteries every year.
• Replace empty fire extinguishers.
• Unplug non-essential machines, such as coffee pots and space heaters, on a nightly basis.
• Do not keep flammable materials in the building.
• Conduct emergency drills on a regular basis with office staff.
• Create an office emergency disaster plan so business continuity procedures are in place in the event of a fire.

Office Fire Recovery

• After speaking to your insurance agent, contact a fire restoration specialist immediately after a fire. Disaster recovery services will help clean a building affected by smoke, fire, or water and check it for safety. Additionally, these professionals use document restoration techniques.
• Continue conducting business at a preplanned remote location while your office is being restored.

Read more business fire damage recovery tips.

[photo: Steve Snodgrass]

Image from South Meadow School website

South Meadow School in Peterborough, New Hampshire recently welcomed a new school-year, but had to work harder than usual to re-open its doors. A couple days before school started, the school suffered major flood damage that came with hard rains that were too much for the school’s drainage system.

Flood waters went as high as 6-inches on the school building, soaking carpets, school equipment, classrooms, and drywall. When the news of the flood reached the facilities director, he immediately followed the guidelines of the school’s emergency disaster plan and gathered the maintenance crew to begin the clean-up process before calling-in professionals to assist.

The quick thinking and fast actions of all involved saved the school from thousands of dollars of future expenses. The actions taken saved the school from further damage from the flood waters and prevented damaging mold-growth.

The staff members at the school follow a business continuity plan and set-up make-shift offices in different locations of the school and even utilized the high school’s building during the flood recovery process. The attitude of the school staff remained positive as they saw the flood damage as a means to do some much-needed reorganizing.

More on this story.

Learn how your business can develop its own disaster recovery plan.

Photo by Pink Sherbet Photography CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

The KidsPeace residential center in North Whitehall Township, Pennsylvania reported a fire early on Thursday morning. None of the resident youth or staff were injured. Firefighters were on the scene from about 3:00 am to 7:00 pm. It is believed a circuit breaker in the building failed, causing the fire.

KidsPeace is a private charity that serves children and teens.  Services offered at their various locations include behavioral and psychiatric services, residential group homes, foster care services, juvenile justice programs, and alternative education for those who struggle in their school of origin.

Mark Stubis, a spokesperson for KidsPeace, was complimentary when he spoke about the staff that dealt with the incident, saying: “Fortunately our people reacted quickly and very well. The alarm went off, the sprinkler system started working and the local fire departments put out the fire. Our warmest thanks go to the local fire departments.”

Stubis also spoke about the upcoming difficulties the center will face as it begins the restoration process: “Our biggest challenge now is getting clean drinking water.”

Lehighvalleylive.com also reports the building that housed the youth not only suffered extensive fire damage, but also significant water damage in several parts of the building as a result of the sprinkler system.

More on this story.

The following are some essential links for businesses when it comes to fire restoration, water damage, and business continuity:

• Business Fire Damage Recovery Plans
• How to Save on Recovery After Experiencing Water Damage
• Developing a Disaster Recovery Plan For Your Business

Photo by http://www.flickr.com/photos/pinksherbet/ / CC BY 2.0

Residents of North Dakota affected by the severe winter storms and flooding after March 13, 2009 can register to receive assistance by registering online at www.disasterassistance.gov or by calling FEMA’s toll-free telephone number (800-621-FEMA (3362) or TTY 800-462-7585).

Aid available will cover emergency home repair, temporary housing, replacement grants, and other needs that may not be covered by insurance policies. This aid, however, will mostly cover only basic needs and not entire losses, which will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

FEMA has stated the following on their site:

“When applying for help, be sure to have the following information available:

• Your current telephone number;
• Your address at the time of the disaster and the address where you now are staying;
• Your Social Security number, if available;
• A general list of damages and losses you suffered;
• If insured, the name of your company or agent and your policy number;
• Bank account coding if you wish to speed up your assistance with direct deposit.”

Check out FEMA’s site for more information on receiving assistance.

Learn more about recovering from a flood.