Hurricanes, tropical storms, tornadoes, floods and fire all wreak havoc on lives, the landscape and destroy billions of dollars in personal property every year.
What is the proper response to a natural disaster when it is your property that has sustained the damage?
Safety First! As much as you may want to immediately begin sifting through the wreckage and start putting your life back together, your structure may have suffered significant damage, making it unsafe. Play it smart. Wait until your building has been inspected and deemed safe to occupy.
Document Everything! This practice should really begin well before the catastrophe hits. Every property owner should make a habit of photographing and cataloging their property and possessions on a regular basis. This way, if something does happen, you will have receipts as well as photographic proof of the condition of your property and belongings. Photograph, video and document everything that has been lost or damaged. This will make your claims process so much easier.
Contact your Insurance Agent/Carrier Immediately! Hopefully, you have a good relationship with your Agent. A helpful agent can make all the difference between having a smooth claims process or an absolute nightmare.
Protect What's Left. We don't like to think this sort of thing can happen to us, but during times of catastrophe and disaster human nature can take a nasty turn. Sometimes our neighbors can turn into scavengers, looters and hooligans. Do your best to protect whatever is left of your valuables and property from the elements and from potential threats.
Start The Cleaning Process. Begin with de-watering. Water, wind and weather are probably your biggest enemies. Water can continue damaging structures, foundations and valuables long after the initial swells have subsided. Water will breed mold, mildew and can undermine foundations. Water destroys concrete, wood, plaster, drywall and most every other kind of building material used in construction. The sooner water can be controlled and removed the sooner the cleaning process can begin.
The Actual Cleaning Process.
Once the water has been removed and your structure has been secured, it's time to start cleaning up the damage and piecing your life back together.
This can be a confusing time and there are many options to consider. Most cleaning professionals and disaster recovery teams rely on their own proprietary systems and methods to do their work. Don't feel as though you do not have a say in the methods they use, however. This is your property and you want to be certain that great care is taken to salvage as much of your structure and belongings as possible.
Consider using a contractor that utilizes dry ice blast cleaning as one of their primary methods of disaster recovery.
Dry ice blasting is a process that is extremely efficient at breaking up and removing layers of mold, smoke residue and dirt. The benefits of this revolutionary cleaning method make it ideal for cleaning any structure that has been affected by mold, soot and other hard-to-remove contaminants from a natural disaster.
The dry ice blasting cleaning method is a faster and more effective at removing mold, mildew, dirt, charred residue and soot than other cleaning methods such as manual scraping, sand or soda blasting and pressure washing. And because cleaning is more cost-effective than structural replacement, dry ice blast cleaning will save you money in the long run.
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