To apply for FEMA AID, click the link below:
http://www.fema.gov/assistance/index.shtm
or you can call them at (800) 621-FEMA
For The Burr Ridge Police Department and other useful information, click the link below:
http://www.burr-ridge.gov/
For the Burr Ridge Park District, click the link below:
http://www.brparks.org/
Click on the following links for additional resources: January 23, 2009
How to carry Flood Damage Cleanup Program April 24, 2009
A Flood creates a lot of problems for homeowners based in different parts of the world. It becomes essential to remove the water that gets accumulated in your home. There are many flood damage cleanup agencies that offer specialised services for their clients throughout the year.
These kinds of circumstances cause a great harm to the flooring and structure of the household. If your flooring remains submerged for long hours it may lead to extensive damages in the form of health hazards that may crop up due to severe contamination. So it is essential to remove the polluted water as quickly as possible.
If you want to carry the flood damage cleanup program on your own you have to keep in mind certain basic steps. First of all, safety of the person engaged in cleaning should be considered. He or she should wear different protective suits or gear that will avoid physical contact with contaminated materials. Some of these include rubber gloves, face mask and goggles. These protective gears are readily available in your nearby market.
Experts also suggest different precautionary measures before starting with your flood damage cleanup procedure. For instance, gas appliances and electric supply of your household need to be turned off. This will help you to avoid problems that may result from electrocution. For testing the wires you can also take the help of qualified technicians.
While cleaning you should avoid the use of dryers and heaters. These types of equipments if used in flood damage cleanup program may increase the humidity level that may in turn result in bacteria and germs formation.
Flood water mostly damages the floors and walls of the home so it is crucial to start the drying process throughout the entire structure. Today one of the best means to carry forward the drying process of the home interiors is through cross ventilation. In this method, the doors and windows have to be opened to ensure air movement all through the room. Besides, windows and doors, other closets of your home need to be opened if they are flooded.
In order to measure the humidity level you can also get water meter that are available in the hardware and paint stores. It should be noted that humid surface serves as the breeding ground for micro organisms. You should remove all damaged materials from the submerged surface so that flood damage cleanup program can be carried out smoothly.
For removing contamination you can use several disinfectants present in market. Home bleach can be used as it helps to end the growth of mold and mildews to a great extent. Use of strong bleach is usually recommended by experts. For spraying one can also use a garden sprayer that will help to spread the bleach all over the surface. Avoid spraying of bleach on fabrics as it may cause further damages.
Flood damage cleanup are also carried out by professional cleaners. In times of adverse situations, you can conveniently opt for expert help. There are many search engines that will offer you essential information about authorized cleaners providing flood damage cleanup service for clients.
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Ways to do the Flood Damage Cleanup March 28, 2009
Flood damage cleanup holds a lot of importance in one’s life, especially post flood when you need to restore your home to its original state. The standing water at your place might harm the residents and the house as well. Hence, it is important to do flood damage cleanup without delay. To avoid any kind of health hazard and save your house from the devastation you need to opt for flood damage cleanup.
The floors and walls of your house might get damaged if they remain damp for long hours. Therefore, it is important to dry these entire areas post flood. You can do flood damage cleanup by yourself by following some simple and easy steps.
Cross ventilation is one the best procedures to dry the interiors of your home. It can dry an extensive area that has been damaged during the flood. The doors and windows of your home are opened so that it supports free air movement inside your room. The other types of doors like the closet door and the drawers should also be kept open if you want them to dry. This method also ensures that you get rid of the foul smell that is left behind by the receding floodwater.
Heaters and dryers are not good options for flood damage cleanup. They do not help you much in the drying process. These instruments enhance the formation of mold and mildew by increasing the level of humidity, which actually needs to be reduced. Hence, resorting to this electric equipment is a bad idea.
Water meter is the best equipment to measure the level of humidity of the damp surface. You can purchase a water meter from any paint and hardware store in town. Humid ground is the perfect breeding place for bacteria and fungus. Hence, it is safe to leave it like that. The materials at your place that have come in contact with the contaminated water also should be cleared quickly so that the flood damage cleanup process becomes easy.
Disinfectants are used to cleanse the wet surface. Home bleach is also recommended as it not only cleans the surface but also helps in removing mildew and mold. The use of bleach can also restrain the growth of microorganisms on that surface. You can use a standard size sprayer to spray the bleach and the bleach should be a strong one of 5:1 ratio. However, you must remember not to use bleach on your fabrics.
The person engaged in the task of flood damage cleanup must use certain protective gears to save him from getting affected. Rubber gloves, facemask and goggles are some of the tools that can help him to ensure his safety while cleaning the surface. All these are available at the market near your house.
Before you start flood damage cleanup process you should make sure that all the electric supply and gas appliances are turned off otherwise it might cause electrocution. You can also contact professional electricians to check the wiring connection.
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Types of Sewage Damage Cleanup and Misconceptions March 5, 2009
Sewage damage can pose serious health and ecological hazards. Therefore, to maintain cleanliness and to lower down the rate of damage to any structure, sewage damage cleanup is essential. This process is an integral part of flood damage cleanup. There is a lurking threat of different kinds of diseases depending upon the extent of penetration of the sewage into your house. To ensure well being of your loved ones, it is very important for the homeowners to consider this task periodically.
Basically, sewage damage cleanup procedure comprises two steps:
-cleaning up physically
-cleaning up using disinfecting agents
Physically sewage damage cleanup means cleaning contaminated water, wastes and debris. Chemically cleaning up of sewage is applying disinfectant to kill harmful viruses and bacteria sustaining in the dirt. These microbes cause severe ailments like dysentery, Hepatitis A and even skin infections.
If you are considering sewage damage cleanup, you must consider several other factors as well. Some of these factors are ventilation, area and degree of damage etc. For example, if sewage has affected your bathroom only, you are not required to worry about your other possessions or part of your home. But if contaminated water has affected your entire house after a sewage backup or heavy rain, then you must make an extensive cleaning and disinfecting operation. And if you are doing this on your own make sure you are equipped with proper protective gears like gloves, boots, masks etc.
It is very important to start the sewage damage cleanup procedure sooner because it degrades the air present in your house. Inhalation of this contaminated air not only causes you nausea but also can result into different infection because microbial organisms develop fast under such condition.
There are certain misconceptions regarding sewage damage cleanup popular among common people. It is essential to clarify them so that you ensure well being of your loved ones. One such popular construct is that even though larger water bodies like rivers and oceans contain sewage, yet they are clean as they have larger reserves of water. As a matter of fact, any water body- large or tiny, if has sewage content, it needs restoration. The same water when penetrates inside your house and is trapped in your walls or carpets cause foul smell. Germs multiplying fast have an immediate effect on people residing.
Another such myth is once a carpet is soaked in contaminated water can be restored with sewage damage cleanup measures. As a matter of fact, any porous material like sofa, drapery or bedding should not be used again once infested by clean water.
Thumb rule of sewage damage cleanup is restoration procedure should start as soon as possible. If persisted for a longer period, growth of molds and harmful micro organisms would be fast, they would develop more potential and so will be the health risk. So, to minimize the ill-effects of contaminated sewage either ask for professional assistance for sewage damage cleanup or do it yourself donning essential gears.
The Art and Science of Managing a Flooded Basement February 5, 2009
With very unpredictable global weather conditions stirred by changes in the fragile ozone layer and other atmospheric phenomena, homeowners keep tight watch over their precious belongings and lifetime-earned properties with much angst. Hurricanes, thunderstorms, electrical storms, tornadoes and other unwielding forces of nature constantly test man’s resolve for self-preservation and existence.
Such natural disasters often result to destruction of property, loss of lives, and shattering of dreams.
In areas of the country mostly devastated by flashfloods, managing a flooded basement becomes more of a challenge in that there are often a lot of things to be considered, not to mention the finances and other resources needed to start up an effective mechanism to manage and or cleanup a flooded basement.
The basement is the American family’s unique home space that is devoted towards the storage of valuable home systems such as the furnace, water heater, air-conditioning, electrical distribution, and cable television distribution point. For some families, the basement houses amenities such as those for recreation, hobbies, and other home essentials. Whatever is and however the basement is used by the family, having a flooded basement will definitely spell disastrous consequences in the lifestyle of the family.
The art to managing a flooded basement actually starts in the understanding of how such water-based phenomena happened in the first place. Developing a healthy idea as to how the phenomenon occurred can give the person something to work about in his quest for solutions to the problem. It thus takes a considerable reflection especially in the choice of materials and resources that will be used in the management of the flooded basement.
A favorable and positive attitude of a person towards a flooded basement can actually spark off a series of good things for its restoration. Having a clear grasp of the reason for the flooding, the means to which the flooding can be controlled and or eliminated, and the various mechanisms to which flooding in the basement can be prevented from ever happening again is the art in this endeavor of managing a flooded basement. The science of managing the flood in the basement soon follows.
The science of basement flood cleanup is in the availability of natural and commercially-prepared solutions for the homemaker to use. Awareness of flooding in the basement is one thing; doing something about it is another.
The homemaker should remove all the flood water from the basement through manual labor or through a portable sump pump, a wet vacuum, or even a wet shop vacuum. The manual labor is ideal for minimal basement flooding where ordinary mops and or old towels can be used to remove the water.
A sump pump can effectively remove the water even if the water is still in the ground level. A sump pump is more of a preventive tool that diverts flood water out even before it reaches the surface of the basement. But, should the flood overwhelms the sump pump you have to find an outlet with which to course water through. In this case, it will be wise to have a long hose connected to the pump to drain the water out the window of the basement. The wet vacuum already has a storage bin in it but can only hold a limited amount of water. This translates to more frequent emptying of the water catch bin. The wet shop vacuum holds more water than the wet vacuum and as such, is a more likely candidate in the effort to remove flood water in the basement.
Once the equipment is available, you can begin removing the water by choosing a spot in the basement where the most damage might occur if the water is allowed to further stay or by working in an area with less water first before going into the really flooded areas.
Turning on the heater, opening the windows, using fans and dehumidifiers can also help speed up the removal of water in the flooded basement.
Water Damage Repair Agency – The Professional Way to Tackle Disaster January 20, 2009
Water becomes so destructive at times. But panic would leave us nowhere. We have to take up immediate action for water damage repair as soon as disaster strikes. Repairs can be classified into six segments – walls, windows, basements, interior plumbing and mildews.
Most household water hazards stem from three main factors – faulty construction, lack of awareness and improper maintenance. When you are buying a property or renting one, you should make a detail scrutiny of the structure. Check out the pipes, drainage lines, aeration channels etc and get ensured that you would have minimum chances to incur water damage repair in nearest future. Regular check up and maintenance of your house is essential. You have to carry on your scrutiny whether your drainage pipe is having a leak, or any wall or ceiling is dripping or not. Ignorance can cost you high. As soon as you find any such thing, call up your plumber or concerned professional. The first and foremost word in water damage repair is “FAST”.
Windows and walls are best to be left for professionals to take care of. But whenever you find a leakage or plaster erosion either at any window, wall or ceiling use any glue tape to cover them at first and call a water damage repair company. Sometimes attics or cocklofts, if not properly ventilated, can cause moisture accumulation at the lower storey ceiling and consequent dripping. You should keep a regular eye to it and arrange for attic ventilators. In fact humidity level inside the house can trigger a lot of damages to walls, furniture and other articles. If you are having wooden floors and walls, use cuprinol or creosote solutions to treat your damaged floors. Also you can apply commercial wood fillers to rotten areas. If you are a victim of flood, it’s best to leave this entire headache to any water damage repair company. Mists and frosts on the inside surfaces of storm windows should be drained regularly. And you need to check the weep holes, whether there are any blockages or not.
Documents, decors and furnishings easily catch mildew growth if they are kept wet for a long time. As soon as you find them wet due to any seepage or go for a routine wash to get them dried fast. But carpets, upholsteries, mattresses take long time to become dry. You would have to apply anti-fungal solutions to prevent any mold growth. If your house had been into sort of sewage flooding, it’s better not to try water damage repair for all the decors. Dump as much as possible, particularly those having stuffing of sponge or cotton-wool.
Basements and plumbing should be thoroughly checked by professional water damage repair agencies after any sort of flooding. Most home floods occur due to plumbing problems. During any natural inundation, basement waterlogging not only contaminates basement water reservoir but also can trigger cracks at the concrete structure. The same can happen to your pipelines. There are number of water damage repair agencies nowadays. You can choose one that suits your pocket.
Useful Devices You Should Look For in Water Removal Companies January 20, 2009
After a flood, removing standing water and cleaning up can be a problem. The task can be tedious for you and your family. Your family members can be exposed to health hazards as well. Fortunately, there are cleaning services that specialize in water removal and water damage. These companies have the necessary experience and expertise in dealing with standing water and cleanups.
But before you go out and hire a water removal company, make sure that you choose one that has experience and uses the right kind of tools or devices. A speedy water removal is what you should aim for and this can only be done by using certain devices specially manufactured for this type of work.
Pump out extractors
Water extractors are the first and most important devices you should look for in a water removal company. Removing water should be the immediate concern and this can be done with the help of water extractors. There are several types to this device and one is a sump pump which is a heavy duty pump that can extract as much as 1800 to 2400 gallons of water per hour. This is typically good to use for flooded basements.
On the other hand, when accumulated water is not a large a mount, portable pump out extractors which are capable of extracting 600 gallons of water per hour will do. Wet vacuums are also handy with water removal on carpets or floors.
Heated carpet extractor
Heated carpet extractors are portable tools which can be used in disinfecting and drying carpets. Installed carpets are one of the things that are hard to dry after a flood. It is very hard to remove them since they can be damaged so they need to be disinfected and dried while still installed. Heated carpet extractors works to remove water from carpets while heating the carpet to disinfect and dry them at the same time.
Non-heated carpet extractor
Not all types of carpets can be exposed to high temperature since some may shrink. If you don’t know what type of carpet you have, it is best to ask a water removal service company for a non-heated carpet extractor.
Air blowers and dehumidifiers
Another set of important tools you should look for in a water removal service company are dryers. There are different types of dryers and each type used has its own specific use. Air blowers can be used on carpets while dehumidifiers can be used for general indoor drying. These industrial fan-looking devices are left indoors for long periods of time to speed up the drying process. What they do is lower the humidity level of a room to an optimal level that will make drying of walls and furniture faster.
Engaging the help of water removal services can be a wise decision. You not only save yourself from a tedious task but you also avoid being exposed to health hazards. But before you hire cleaning services, make sure that they have devices or tools that will make the cleanup a speedy and effective process. The above devices are just a few of the most important devices you should look for.
What you should do for Proper Flood Damage Cleanup January 14, 2009
Flood and water damage can occur to your house because of natural disasters. It may ruin your basements, kitchen or even the entire structure of your house. River overflow, unexpected storms, continuous torrential rain are known to contribute for flood. In fact, some man made disaster is also known to contribute for water damage. This includes malfunction in sprinkler system, bursting and leakage of pipes. So, proper flood damage cleanup should be performed so that your home comes back to its previous conditions.
It would be a wise and sensible decision if you consult with professionals before any flood damage cleanup activities is undertaken. You should note the fact that building structures that were completely submerged in water or flood tends to suffer from structural damages. Hence, this strikes a serious danger to the site. People residing or entering into the area face life risks.
If you have decided to go for the flood damage cleanup activities by yourself, then ensure that you are wearing protective clothing. Floodwaters or stagnant water are known to be carriers of microorganisms, harmful bacteria and in some cases toxic chemicals also. This is because all the sewage and drainage systems overflow and the contaminated water gets mixed up with floodwater. So, your health might face the hazards if comes in contact with skin or inhaled. In order to ensure the safety of your health you must wear rubber gloves, rubber boots, masks, goggles, respirators etc before you enter flooded area.
Always make sure that electricity is disconnected from the flooded area. Water is a good conductor of electricity and hence it can prove lethal. So, before you start with flood damage cleanup consider this fact. If you find that electrical appliances are still in flooded area, you must go for different restoration activities.
The first step of flood damage cleanup involves removing stagnant water. Opt for submersible pumps to drain out floodwater. This type of pump works perfectly, if you intend to evacuate huge quantity of water. For low or small quantity of water you can go for dry or wet vacuum cleaners. You can end your flood damage cleanup activity either by using chamois cloth or absorbent sponges. You can also go for mopping.
Eliminate any materials that came in contact with contaminated floodwater. If you find that you can reuse the items then clean it properly, free it from dirt and mud and put them to dry. For cleaning waterproof material, you can use bleach and detergent.
A primary part of flood damage cleanup involves drying the affected area as early as possible. For this purpose you can use dryers, air blowers, dehumidifiers etc. Flood damage area must have proper ventilation so you must keep the doors and windows open so that adequate air flows into the room.
In the process of flood damage cleanup, you must check for signs of mold growth. Some of the prominent signs of mold growth are musky smell and discoloration. You can stop mold growth by cleaning the affected area quickly and apply fungicide.
Ways to Avoid a Flood and Flood Damage Cleanup January 14, 2009
Nowadays, we hear many news stories about flash floods occurring at different parts of the world. So many people are suffering because of the floods that occur around the world due to these floods. We see different groups helping out each other with flood damage cleanup every time a calamity hits an area. Different governments are trying to work together to ensure that their people will not suffer any more. But we, as citizens, also need to make sure that we do our part in order to avoid experiencing floods in our areas.
Here are some ways on how we can avoid floods and the flood damage cleanup that comes in the aftermath of floods:
1. Avoid throwing your trash on the ground. Many times we do not give much thought to throwing our pieces of paper and pieces of gum on the ground. But all these pieces of trash accumulate and clog up the drainage or sewer system. During times of flood damage cleanup, people find that one of the things that bring about floods would be the trash that has clogged up the sewer pipes thus preventing the rainwater from properly flowing into the drains.
2. Take care of your trees and plants. We never really see the importance of trees and plants. For many, they just serve as aesthetic pieces that brighten up one’s day. But these trees and plants are very essential when trying to avoid a flood in an area. The roots of a tree or plants hold the ground together and keep the water at bay during heavy rains. Some studies have shown that those areas which experience flash floods are those mountainous areas that do not have that many trees. Because of the lack of greenery, the water would rush down the mountain’s slopes and eventually turn into a flood. So take care of your greens in order to avoid having a flood damage cleanup.
3. Clean up the drainage system. It would definitely help if you can stop throwing your garbage left and right but it would be good for the drainage system to be cleaned thoroughly on a regular basis. Get your local government to come up with a program to clean up the system. Make sure that the water during heavy rains would flow in smoothly through the drainage system. By doing so, you will definitely be able to avoid a flood damage cleanup.
4. If you have any rivers or creeks in your area, make sure they are also cleaned thoroughly. During a flood damage cleanup, it was observed that there were bits of trash in the river or creek in the area. These pieces of trash pile up so the water from the rains would just stay in that area and would not be able to flow freely into the river. The water would rise and cause the flood.
5. Make people more aware. A lot of people know that floods occur. They also know that after a flood, there would a flood damage cleanup. But people need to be more aware and more proactive. By spreading the news, more people will avoid throwing garbage and would be more considerate and mindful of how they treat Mother Nature.
By working together, we will all be able to avoid having to contend with floods in our homes and the need to do a flood damage cleanup.
Your Carpets and Rugs Are in Need of the Water Removal Process Too January 14, 2009
Carpets are just one of the many attractions we usually find in someone’s house. They present certain grandeur just by looking at them; the intricacy that went into its design and make, and how it was positioned on a certain part of the floor so as to catch the eye of a visitor.
But of course if these cleverly designed carpets were messed up by any form of water that would be a different and altogether annoying story. For carpets and rugs that can absorb large amounts of water, this would pose some difficulty in drying, and could cause the said items to decompose if untreated for a long time. To save precious carpets and rugs from the possible deterioration, an immediate water removal process for this is important.
Another factor why water removal is important and needs to be done immediately is because of the possible bacteria it could contain. When those carpets or rugs are soaked for a long time, formation of molds and certain microorganisms would dwell in your precious carpets, resulting to a more pronounced health hazard for your household.
There are two options that you could choose from in dealing with water removal of your carpets and rugs: either do the water removal your self or hire a professional. But the decision on whether to choose a professional or not should depend on the severity of the problem.
If the water damage done to your carpets and rugs is not that extensive and the damage is just a minor one, then you could do the process of doing water removal yourself. Doing it should require for your carpets and rugs to be cleaned outside with the help of sunlight, or if even that is not possible, then you can use a fan inside the house or a dehumidifier.
When the carpet is totally dry with no trace of moisture and dampness on it then with the use of a vacuum, remove all the dirt and debris that could be manifesting in the carpets and rugs. Work slowly with it, making sure that all possible dirt is taken out. You could also use a high-pressured hose. Hosing the carpet in high pressured way would get rid of the dirt clinging in the carpet or rug. After a thorough cleaning, allow it to dry.
After getting rid of the dirt and the unwanted water from it, the next step in water removal of carpets and rugs is to clean them with a carpet shampoo. Follow the instructions that are in the label of the carpet shampoo you are using carefully so that no further damage could happen to your important items. Use a sponge or a soft brush in the cleaning and water removal process.
When everything is done the right way in your water removal and cleanup procedure, then the next step is to dry your items as quickly as possible. Place them in an area where you can use a fan to complete the procedure faster.
If in case that you decide to have the water removal of your carpets or rugs done by a professional, you should also choose the water restoration company carefully. Find a reputable company that would do the job perfectly. The good thing about hiring someone to save your items is that if they made a mistake, you have someone to blame and not yourself.
