Recent Posts

Emergency Preparedness - Are You Prepared for a Disaster?

9/1/2022 (Permalink)

In September the Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA) sponsors National Preparedness Month, although it is a good reminder that disasters can occur at any time, and it is important to be prepared. 

Federal agencies such as Ready.gov or the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are valuable resources for emergency preparedness.

At SERVPRO of Benton, Jasper, Newton & Southern Lake Counties we know how important it is to be prepared, have a plan, and communicate it to anyone who may be affected or can help. We have training and resources to assist you in any disaster.

My Business Flooded - What Now?

6/29/2022 (Permalink)

photo of SERVPRO emergency ready profile text with photos of worried adults Peace of Mind for your Business - If you don't have an Emergency Ready Plan yet, call us today - 219.779.7577

Flooding is one of the most common and widespread natural disasters, but flooding can also result from plumbing failures, frozen pipes, and damaged structures. 

Flood damage can affect your business in a variety of ways and can range in size from being isolated to a single room to entire floors being submerged. 

Knowing how to prepare and deal with potential flooding in advance can affect how much of your property can be restored and how much has to be replaced. 

SERVPRO of Benton, Jasper, Newton & Southern Lake Counties has these mitigation and restoration tips: 

Safety First

  • Make sure that all employees are safe - establish an evacuation plan in advance, identify areas outside the building as designated meeting places, and assign select individuals to keep a list of team members' names and contact numbers to account for their whereabouts
  • If water enters the building and evacuation becomes impossible, move to an upper floor and wait for rescuers
  • While evacuating, avoid attempting to drive through floods or rising water
  • Do not touch electrical equipment if you are wet or standing in water
  • Do not walk through moving water
  • Do not use open flames - there may be gas escaping from ruptured mains of which you are unaware
  • Avoid floodwaters - water may be contaminated or electrically charged
  • Stay out of any building if it is surrounded by floodwater
  • Listen for news reports to learn if the community's water supply is safe to drink
  • Return only when authorities indicate it is safe

Secure the Property

  • Contact local emergency officials
  • Secure main entrances to the building

Stabilize the Property

  • Shut off the source of water if possible or contact a qualified party to stop the water source
  • Open basement or low level windows to equalize water pressure on the building's foundation and walls
  • Being water damage mitigation steps only if emergency officials deem the structure safe to enter
  • Notify your insurance agent or Risk Management team to determine insurance policy guidelines and steps to take

SERVPRO of Benton, Jasper Newton & Southern Lake Counties - 219-779-7577

  • Contact us to activate your Emergency Ready Plan* - When damage strikes, you can be ruined or you can be ready
  • Ensure availability of key decision makers to authorize us to begin mitigation work

*If you don't have an Emergency Ready Plan yet, check out these two blog posts for more information and call us at 219.779.7577 to get one set up today - Do You Have a READY Plan? Has It Been Updated? or Stay a Step Ahead with SERVPRO's Emergency Ready Plan 

Affected By Water Damage?

6/21/2022 (Permalink)

SERVPRO of Benton, Jasper, Newton & Southern Lake Counties provides 24 hour fire and water damage restoration service.

Flooding and water emergencies don't wait for regular business hours and neither do we. SERVPRO of Benton, Jasper, Newton & Southern Lake Counties provides emergency cleaning and restoration services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week—including all holidays.

Faster To Any Size Disaster

Flooding and water damage is very invasive. Water quickly spreads throughout your home and gets absorbed into floors, walls, furniture, and more.  We arrive quickly and start the water extraction process almost immediately. This immediate response helps to minimize the damage and the cleaning and restoration costs.

Need Emergency Service? Call Us 24/7 – 219.779.7577

Water Damage Timeline

Within Minutes

  • Water quickly spreads throughout your property, saturating everything in its path.
  • Water is absorbed into walls, floors, upholstery, and belongings.
  • Furniture finishes may bleed, causing permanent staining on carpets.
  • Photographs, books, and other paper goods start to swell and warp.

Hours 1 - 24:

  • Drywall begins to swell and break down.
  • Metal surfaces begin to tarnish.
  • Furniture begins to swell and crack.
  • Dyes and inks from cloth and paper goods spread and stain.
  • A musty odor appears.

48 Hours to 1 Week:

  • Mold and mildew may grow and spread.
  • Doors, windows, and studs swell and warp.
  • Metal begins to rust and corrode.
  • Furniture warps and shows signs of mold.
  • Paint begins to blister.
  • Wood flooring swells and warps.
  • Serious biohazard contamination is possible.

More Than 1 Week:

  • Restoration time and cost increase dramatically; replacing contaminated materials and structural rebuilding may be extensive.
  • Structural safety, mold growth, and biohazard contaminants pose serious risks to occupants.

Why SERVPRO? - Certifications

6/14/2022 (Permalink)

SERVPRO employees being trained and certified in various techniques When disaster strikes, call the professionals with leading industry certifications.

When disaster strikes, you want someone who can get the job done right as quickly as possible. SERVPRO of Benton, Jasper, Newton & Southern Lake Counties technicians and project managers have several leading industry certifications so you can feel confident you have chosen the best company to mitigate and restore your fire or water damage, mold, or biohazard needs.

Our staff is highly trained in property damage restoration. We study IICRC standards and best practices in cleaning and restoration standards.

IICRC - Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification

(IICRC standards are the most comprehensive and advanced technical information in the industry.)

ASD - Applied Structural Drying - effective, efficient, and timely drying of water-damaged structures and contents

WRT - Water Damage Restoration Technician - better techniques for drying structures and remediation of water damages 

FSRT - Fire and Smoke Restoration Technician

RRRP - Lead Renovation, Repair, and Painting 

OSHA - 30 Hour General and/or Construction Industry Training Program

ECTP - Employee Certification Training Program

CCT - Carpet Cleaner Technician

 

SERVPRO Systems Services - Cleaning. Restoration. Construction.

6/9/2022 (Permalink)

Whether you need emergency services for a fire or water damage or top-to-bottom cleaning, you can trust SERVPRO of Benton, Jasper, Newton & Southern Lake Counties to restore your home or business to preloss condition - "Like it never even happened." The difference is our training, experience, and equipment. 

Trust Your SERVPRO Franchise Professionals

  • 24/7 Emergency Service
  • Highly Trained Specialists
  • Faster to Any Size Disaster
  • Trusted Leader in the Industry
  • Preferred Vendor for Many National and Local Insurance Companies

SERVPRO franchise professionals provide restoration and cleaning services for residential and commercial structures. 

With more than 2,000 franchises nationwide, SERVPRO is a leader in the restoration industry..." SERVPRO franchise professionals are available 24 hours a day/7 days a week and are ready to restore or clean your property. SERVPRO locations are Independently Owned and Operated - not all locations perform every SERVPRO Systems Services.

Contact us today to see how we can help - (219) 779-7577

June is National Safety Month

6/1/2022 (Permalink)

yellow diamond sign that says june is national safety month Take time this month to make a difference in your home and your community. Identify risks and take action.

June is National Safety Month. This month is an opportunity to make a difference in your home, work, and community. Identify risks around your home or in your neighborhood or increase first aid or emergency awareness through drills to provide a safer neighborhood.

What can you do to get involved?

  • Report repairs as they are needed
  • Hold drills at home to help kids know what to do in the event of
    • fire
    • tornado
    • medical event
    • another natural disaster
  • Volunteer to participate in community emergency preparedness events
  • Put together a first aid kit
  • Take a CPR class

SERVPRO of Benton, Jasper, Newton & Southern Lake Counties supports local emergency preparedness events and encourages employees to be involved in their communities. 

Commercial Industry Cleaning and Restoration

6/1/2022 (Permalink)

When you own a business, whether large or small, your business communicates to others - potential clients and customers, and you want to build trust and present your business as a safe, clean place to be. With more than 50 years of experience, SERVPRO has earned the reputation as a trusted leader in the restoration industry. SERVPRO franchises specialize in fire and water damage, specialty cleaning, mold, and so much more.

The trained professionals at your local franchise, SERVPRO of Benton, Jasper, Newton & Southern Lake Counties, understand your need to keep your business going after an emergency. That's why we are here to help 24/7. We offer flexible solutions as we work around the clock to mitigate damages and complete restoration to get you back up and running as soon as possible. Minimizing downtime means getting you back to normal operating more quickly.

If you experience any kind of emergency or disaster and want someone to be there right away to take control of the situation, call us any hour at 219.779.7577

Why SERVPRO? - Training and Experience

6/1/2022 (Permalink)

Since 1967, SERVPRO has been redefining the mitigation, restoration, and construction industries. Training is at the forefront of what makes SERVPRO the choice for your emergency needs. 

In addition to training at the regional letter, SERVPRO has also developed the National Training Center to teach those important restoration and mitigation skills. We provide ongoing in person and elearning training programs followed by knowledge exams to ensure the information is understood. 

SERVPRO is also an approved IICRC Training School that offers year-round classes in fire and water restoration, carpet and upholstery cleaning, and applied structural drying. SERVPRO also offers both credit and noncredit classes designed to improve knowledge of emergency mitigation in water and fire damage restoration, understanding mold in the restoration industry, restorative drying for loss control, and mitigation awareness response seminar.

When you need someone for emergency services, mitigation, restoration, or construction, contact a professional company that put continued effort into training and further education - contact a SERVPRO franchise professional.

Rain, More Rain, Storms, and Flooding

5/18/2022 (Permalink)

SERVPRO orange logo on a green umbrella with rain drops 'Tis the season for rain, more rain, storms, and flooding.

'Tis the season for rain, more rain, storms, and flooding. 

Warm, moist air combined with cool, dry air means the conditions are ripe for thunderstorms along with the possibility of lightning strikes, floods, hail, high wings, or tornadoes. Unfortunately, you can't prevent severe weather events and can't predict very far in advance when and where they will hit. What you can do is take steps in advance to protect your family and property.

Check out state, local, and federal resources for tips on planning and preparing for a severe weather event. There are several sites with information on creating an emergency kit and share emergency plans with your family.

SERVPRO of Benton, Jasper, Newton & Southern Lake Counties technicians respond to weather event damages daily. We are on call 24/7 to handle anything that affects your family and property. 

SERVPRO of Benton, Jasper, Newton & Southern Lake Counties specializes in disaster cleaning, restoration, and construction services, helping to remediate damage, making it "Like it never even happened." For more information, please contact us at 219.779.7577 or check out our site at SERVPRO9873.com

Can Water Damaged Documents and Photos Be Restored?

5/17/2022 (Permalink)

photo of water damaged books and papers Trust SERVPRO for Document Restoration Services

The aftermaths of a water damage can be devastating, not only materially but emotionally. "Things" can be repurchased if they cannot be restored, but important documents and photographs, the memories, cannot be replaced. SERVPRO has a Document Restoration Team that uses state-of-the-art technology and techniques approved by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) and the General Services Administration (GSA).

SERVPRO can clean and disinfect documents by hand cleaning the front and back to remove debris and surface particulates before the documents enter the drying services. Besides cleaning, SERVPRO can also vacuum freeze dry, digitize, use gamma irradiation, or certified destruction. 

Vacuum freeze drying is the preferred method of document drying because it does not alter the structure of paper fibers as some other methods can. We use a custom-designed drying chamber and the vacuum freeze drying technology to vaporize the water in affected items. This process begins with an item containing moisture that is frozen and dried using various vacuums and pressures to achieve sublimation. Sublimation is the direct conversion of a solid (ice) into a gas (water vapor), without passage through the liquid stage.

Beginning the paper restoration process on important photographs, books, and vital documents as soon as possible is key to recovering damaged possessions.

Our technicians are trained to appropriately pack out all documents for transportation to the document restoration facility. The document restoration team has training and experience in various methods and techniques.