Disaster Recovery News

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Rapid Refile professional at work.

Rapid Refile recently completed a project for a medical office in southwest Reading, Pennsylvania that suffered extensive damage from a two-alarm fire. Although the cause of the fire was not immediately known, officials think it started on the roof, which had wooden beams inside of it. It did not take long for the flames to consume the entire rooftop. Although the medical office had a fire alarm, the local fire department never received the signal it sends when the alarm sounds. The firefighters only learned about the blaze from neighbors who called 9-1-1. A report from the “Reading Eagle” states the medical office’s “roof was destroyed and the interior was charred.”

Water and smoke-damaged documents

Preparing documents to be restored

After the fire, Rapid Refile was contracted to help remediate the building’s extensively damaged medical documents. Medical documents the professionals at Rapid Refile can help restore include water-damaged documents, x-rays, wet books and damaged photographs. By calling Rapid Refile, the medical office was able to prevent mold growth and deterioration caused by the fire’s smoke and soot, which would have caused further damage to the documents, and aided in business continuity. The professionals at Rapid Refile handle all medical documents per HIPPA standards and handle sensitive materials with strict protocols to ensure the privacy of those served by medical offices.

Damaged medical documents

Learn more about document restoration for your business.

Three floors of the Humboldt County Courthouse in California flooded after a water pipe broke at about 12:30 pm on Wednesday. A maintenance worker was attempting to fix a broken valve on the second floor that was near the women’s restroom. It appears the valve was on a pipe leading to a toilet in the restroom. It took maintenance workers at least 20 minutes to shut the water off. By then, water had leaked through the floor and damaged ceiling tiles and electrical fixtures, had run down the stairs, and took a trip in the elevator shafts.

The courthouse was evacuated, but some business was conducted in the building of the next-door jail. Restoration specialists and clean-up crews are at the California courthouse to get the building back in working order.

More on the Humboldt Co. Courthouse Flood.

There are many things business can do to prevent and prepare for flood damage. When the unexpected happens, restoration specialists can come in to help assess the damage, help dry and clean-up, and restore documents damaged by the flood.

Learn more about flood disaster planning for businesses.

Flooding—even if it is not raining—can happen to any business at any time. Pipes burst, fire hydrants get run into, a faucet is left on, etc. 

The Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center flooded today after a pipe at nearby Hutchinson Community College burst in its science building overnight. The water leaked into the space museum’s lower levels, leaving up to 10 inches of standing water.

Major artifacts within the museum were not damaged, but the same cannot be said for the wallboards, carpets, and cabinets that held exhibits. The “Hall of Space” will remain partially closed while clean up is underway.

President if the museum, Chris Orwoll, wordily stated: “The biggest thing for us, being a repository of some of the nations most precious artifacts is making sure that those are safe and that there’s no damage to those.”

Recovery crews have already begun work to remove the water from the museum and dry out wet items. The extent of damages is not yet known. Addressing the flooding quickly, like the Cosmosphere staff did, will assist in continuity so the public can view the displays affected soon and the extent of the damage will be minimal.

Disaster recovery services can help restore priceless artifacts and water-damaged documents.  They can also ensure that the building and items affected by the flooding do not grow mold.   

More on professional disaster recovery services and museum restoration.