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Getting Ready for Spring Thunderstorms | SERVPRO® of Llano Grande

4/29/2024 (Permalink)

We have made it to spring! Now we can enjoy the weather spring brings, but we must also be prepared for quick changes in the weather that also go along with the season.

Springtime = Risk of Severe Weather

With the arrival of spring, days become longer and sunshine more abundant, but unfortunately, spring also brings with it the threat of severe weather throughout the country. It’s dealer’s choice this time of year, which means the weather may change at moment’s notice.

Unstable temperatures cause changes in the weather, making it go from warm to cold even in the same day. That temperature change can create extreme weather changes as well.

Thunderstorms are more abundant throughout the spring and are the main cause of severe weather. A thunderstorm can occur whenever warm, moist air collides with cool, dry air, which is most common in the spring and summer.

In studying natural catastrophe losses in the U.S. for 2017, severe thunderstorms were the most common and produced some of the costliest results. Out of 50 events, there were 85 fatalities and an estimated total of $25.4 billion in overall losses.

These storms bring the threat of flooding, high winds and tornadoes if the conditions are right. It has been found that in modern history, 10% of all violent tornadoes have occurred in March, with April, May and June taking the top spots at 30%, 24% and 15% respectively.

Preparing for Storms

Forecasters have the technology to give us an idea that severe weather is possible, but are still not able to predict the weather with 100% accuracy. These advance warnings, along with the right preparation, can greatly improve overall safety for your family.

Here are some things you can do to your home to prepare for the chance of severe weather:

  1. Clear out your home’s gutters, drains and downspouts.
  2. Trim trees of precarious limbs or branches that could break off in a storm.
  3. Secure or store outdoor belongings if severe weather is in the forecast.

It is always advisable to have an emergency kit on hand, and they should include the following:

  • Battery-operated flashlight and NOAA weather radio, with extra batteries for both
  • Emergency evacuation or shelter plans
  • Important personal info, like telephone numbers of neighbors, family and friends, insurance and property info, numbers for the utility companies, and medical info
  • A first-aid kit with things like non-latex gloves, adhesive bandages, tweezers, sterile gauze pads, aspirin packets, adhesive cloth tape and scissors
  • 3–5 day supply of bottled water and nonperishable food
  • Personal hygiene items
  • Blankets or sleeping bag

Despite its unpredictability, there is one thing that always remains true of the spring weather season: It always happens. If your home or business is damaged in a storm, you can depend on SERVPRO® of Llano Grande to get the cleanup and restoration process started fast.

A Local Company Will Always Matter | SERVPRO® of Llano Grande

4/2/2024 (Permalink)

It is safe to say that most of us do our best to avoid imagining what it would be like if a disaster were to strike anywhere. Considering what your home and your life might look like if a disaster were to strike in our own neighborhood is something we never want to even picture.

You can certainly spend some time preparing your home in order to mitigate potential risks, but even the more prepared home could experience damage in a natural disaster. Manmade disasters can catch you even more off-guard since they are often completely unpredictable.

When something happens to our home, timing matters. The faster recovery can happen and we can get our lives back together, the better. That makes having a local company incredibly important.

<h3the-right-choice">Making the Right Choice

When disaster strikes and your home is left with any kind of damage, it can make you feel really overwhelmed. You will need to make decisions in the midst of dealing with all the emotions that come along with seeing the aftermath. You also need to act fast in order to avoid additional damage. It can be a lot to juggle all at once.

With so much to handle, you need to make the best decision possible about a restoration service that can help you put things back together. It’s important to work with someone that is certified, experienced and available around the clock.

At SERVPRO®, we are all of those things, and we are owned and run by local community members. As your neighbors, we completely understand how traumatic a disaster can be.

Because we live in the area, we have also experienced the disasters that have struck. We know the emotional and physical toll that dealing with damage can have, and we know that it is crucial to put our neighborhoods back together.

<h3history-of-experience">A History of Experience

When your home is damaged, working with someone that comes with plenty of experience can bring a lot of comfort. When a big disaster strikes, though, SERVPRO has the extra benefit of being backed by a national brand. That means that we will always have the right amount of help as soon as it is needed.

SERVPRO started in 1967 and has been a growing giant in the restoration industry ever since. Nationally, there are more than 2,000 SERVPROs ready to serve their community and beyond, including ours right in your Brownsville backyard.

Working with SERVPRO means you get experts in the field who are not only trained and experienced in all things disaster recovery, they are also certified. Our team is consistently learning more and more to make sure we are the complete package when it comes to rebuilding after a disaster.

We handle your whole restoration, no matter what it requires. We can tarp your roof and seal off your home immediately after an event and will walk with you through a complete rebuild as it is needed. Our team arrives at your property with the highest quality equipment, technology and the latest techniques so that your world gets put back together properly and completely fast.

Choosing SERVPRO means you are choosing years of experience and community members that love this town as much as you do. No matter what you need, SERVPRO has you covered.

Want to learn more about everything we can do for you? Contact us to be prepared for anything.

The Ways Your Home Can be Damaged | SERVPRO® of Llano Grande

4/2/2024 (Permalink)

Our homes face a multitude of threats on a daily basis. Strong storms blowing in, fire hazards, sudden flooding…even just the neighbors who care a little too much about their yard and send rocks flying through your window when they mow for the fifth time…could have you calling your insurance company.

We may face lots of potential threats, but we can’t let them interrupt our lives. Instead we should do everything we can to prepare for them, and that means learning as much as possible about the most common kinds of home damage.

SERVPRO® of East Brownsville & South Padre Island is here to help when you do have damages, making recovery just as easy as being prepared.

<h3biggest-risks">The Biggest Risks

We are certainly not strangers to risk living in this part of Texas. We have seen hurricanes, flooding, tornadoes and even some unusual freezing temps that have resulted in damage to homes, streets and everything else in their path. Our homes are also challenged by the extreme heat waves we often see during the summer months.

Even with risks that will vary according to the time of the year, there are three kinds of damage we should all understand well in order to take steps to prevent it. Damage to the roof, water damage and fires are big threats that people around the nation face and need to prepare for.

Your home could be damaged by water in a multitude of ways, both from inside and outside your home. This might include coastal flooding, flash flooding or just a burst pipe. Your roof could be damaged as the remnants of a hurricane blow through, or it could be hit by a tree limb that should have been trimmed long ago. While most sources of fire are manmade, preventable accidents, they can also be started inside or outside of the home.

<h3damages">Compounding Damages

Living through a single event is traumatic enough, but as reality begins to dawn on the full extent of your disaster, you will likely see compounding damage to your home. A flood can destroy your furniture, and then leave you dealing with mold that starts to damage your foundation.

A fire doesn’t just burn one part of your house, it sends smoke and soot damage into rooms that never even saw flames. On top of that, there is a good chance parts of your home will also be dealing with water and potential mold damage from the effort to put the fire out.

No matter what kind of disaster your home endured, your recovery process will need to happen in steps in order to make sure every base is covered.

When you call us, we start taking as much information over the phone as possible while we mobilize a team with the right equipment to head to your property. Our crew not only has the tools and training to handle water, storm or fire damage—we can handle your tear down and construction needs, too.

If your home has a flooded basement or a leaking roof, we will make our first priority getting everything dried out and saving as much of your property as we can. As we move along in the recovery process, we can replace roof beams and seal sections of your home in order to prevent mold growth and keep things structurally sound.

When a fire strikes in your home, we will tackle the most damaged areas first in order to secure the area and prevent potential damage from weather coming in. We will address the burned odor along with making sure every room near and far from where the fire was is smoke- and soot-free. Depending on how bad your damage was, we can tear down and rebuild entire rooms if that is what it takes to make your home truly yours again.

Not only do we start your recovery fast, day or night, we also work directly with your insurance company in order to create the smoothest process possible. Working with SERVPRO means one call is all it takes to coordinate every aspect of your restoration. We are the only contractors you will need as we get your life put back together.

Does your home need restoration and you don’t want to make more than one call? Contact us to get everything handled by one team.