Know Where to Go and What to Bring: Preparing for the Storm | SERVPRO® of ROME

4/28/2023 (Permalink)

if your home is damaged in a storm, call SERVPRO of Rome. We are available 24/7.

While there are certainly times of the year where the weather tends to be more volatile, it seems that the idea of a “storm season” isn’t really the case anymore.

The threat of severe weather in our corner of Alabama can be year-round, when even a cold winter day can be punctuated with claps of thunder and flashes of lightning.

Floods, thunderstorms, tornadoes and even ice and snow are not unusual throughout the year, so the more we understand what to stock up on and how to stay safe, the easier we can ride out any storm.

Winter Weather Worries

4/2/2020 (Permalink)

Winter weather can bring about more issues than just slippery roads and a sidewalk to shovel. If you live where temperatures sink below freezing level, you are also at risk for frozen pipes and ice dams, which can create a major disaster at your home or property.

FROZEN PIPES

Frozen pipes are often those exposed to the cold weather, such as those outside your house, or in cold areas such as basements, attics, garages, or kitchen cabinets.

A frozen pipe can burst at the point where the ice blockage inside the pipe is located, but typically the rupture is caused by the backflow pressure between the water source and the blockage. A burst pipe can cause considerable damage to your property if not addressed quickly.

To prevent pipes from freezing, here are a few steps you can take, according to The American Red Cross:

• Be sure to completely drain water from swimming pool and sprinkler lines, as well as outside hoses.
• Open kitchen cabinets to let warm air circulate near the plumbing.
• When the weather is extremely cold, let water drip from faucets that may come from exposed pipes.
• Keep your heat set to the same temperature both day and night.

ICE DAMS

Ice dams can be a little-known, but major problem during the snowy season. They form when heated air melts roof snow downward into water dammed behind still-frozen ice. When the trapped water cannot safely flow or run into the gutter system, it can backflow under the roof ’s shingles and into the structure’s interior areas, as well as causing gutters and shingles to move or fall.

Icicles can be an initial sign of an ice dam, according to Travelers.com. To spot ice dams inside, “check for water stains or moisture in your attic or along the ceiling of exterior walls of your house. Water stains or moisture may be an indication that an ice dam has formed and water has penetrated the roof membrane.”

Removing an ice dam as soon as it is found is vital to helping prevent damage to your property and can be done using heated cables, a roof shovel, or calcium chloride ice melter.

If winter weather causes water damage to you or your insured’s property, the professionals at SERVPRO® of Floyd County are only a call away, 24/7, ready to restore to preloss condition.

Source: redcross.org, Travelers.com

Courtesy of Restoration Newsline Vol 30, Iss 1

Safety in Your Home

1/27/2020 (Permalink)

Severe Weather Safety and Survival

Safety Where You Live

Jump to "What to Do Without a Basement or Safe Room"
Jump to Apartments and Mobile Homes

Again, the key to tornado survival is a safety plan. Your plan at home should be known by everyone in the home and practiced at least twice each year. Children who may be at home alone should know what to do and where to go even if no adults are there.

Your selection of a tornado shelter in your home will depend on many factors. Use the basic guidelines and the information below to find your tornado safety area. When selecting your shelter area, remember that your goals should be:

1. Get as low as possible - completely underground is best.

1. Put as many barriers between you and the outside as possible.

It is not the wind inside and around a tornado that kills and injures people - it's the flying debris that's in the wind. Items can fly through the air (broken glass, etc) or fall down (could range from small objects to objects the size and weight of cars)

Storm Cellars and Basements

Being completely underground is the best place to be in a tornado. If you have an underground storm cellar, use it. Make sure the door is securely fastened.

If the entrance to your storm cellar is outside, you should allow plenty of time to get to the shelter before the storm arrives. If you wait until the storm is upon you, you may be exposed to wind, hail, rain, lightning and maybe even flying debris as you go to the cellar.

A basement is also a good shelter in most cases. If your basement is not totally underground, or has outside doors or windows, stay as far away from them as possible. Items from above could fall into the basement, so it's a good idea to get under a stairwell or a piece of sturdy furniture. If possible, avoid seeking shelter underneath heavy objects on the floor above. Use coverings (pillows, blankets, sleeping bags, coats, etc) and helmets to shield your head and body and to protect yourself from flying debris. 

Safe Rooms

A reinforced safe room (or above-ground tornado shelter) is as good as an underground shelter in most situations. Safe rooms are specially-designed reinforced tornado shelters built into homes, schools and other buildings. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, in close cooperation with experts in wind engineering and tornado damage, has developed detailed guidelines for constructing a safe room. For more, go to the FEMA Saferoom webpage.

If No Underground or Reinforced Shelter is Available

If you're like most people, you don't have an underground shelter. In this case, you need to find a location that is...

• As close to the ground as possible

• As far inside the building as possible

• Away from doors, windows and outside walls

• In as small of a room as possible

If you don't have a safe room, basement or underground storm shelter, what should you do? Remembering the basics of tornado safety, you should look around your home to determine the best place.

Here are Some Ideas

• Bathrooms
  
  Bathrooms MAY be a good shelter, provided they are not along an outside wall and have no windows. Contrary to popular belief, there is nothing magically safe about getting in a bathtub with a mattress. In some cases, this might be a great shelter. However, it depends on where your bathroom is. If your bathroom has windows and is along an outside wall, it's probably not the best shelter.
  
  Bathrooms have proven to be adequate tornado shelters in many cases for a couple of reasons. First, bathrooms are typically small rooms with no windows in the middle of a building. Secondly, it is thought that the plumbing within the walls of a bathroom helps to add some structural strength to the room.
  
  However, with tornadoes there are no absolutes, and you should look closely at your home when determining your shelter area.

• Closets
  
  A small interior closet might be a shelter. Again, the closet should be as deep inside the building as possible, with no outside walls, doors or windows. Be sure to close the door and cover up.

• Hallways
  
  If a hallway is your shelter area, be sure to shut all doors. Again, the goal is to create as many barriers as possible between you and the flying debris in and near a tornado. To be an effective shelter, a hallway should as be far inside the building as possible and should not have any openings to the outside (windows and doors).

• Under Stairs
  
  The space underneath a stairwell could be used as a shelter.

Generally speaking, you should not leave your home in your vehicle when a tornado threatens. In most cases, you will have a better chance of surviving by staying put in your home. Every home is different - there is no absolute safe place in every home. Use the guidelines. Unless you are deep underground, there is no such thing as a 100% tornado-proof shelter. Freak accidents can happen.

Apartments

The basic tornado safety guidelines apply if you live in an apartment. Get to the lowest floor, with as many walls between you and the outside as possible.

Apartment dwellers should have a plan, particularly if you live on the upper floors. If your complex does not have a reinforced shelter, you should make arrangements to get to an apartment on the lowest floor possible.

In some cases, the apartment clubhouse or laundry room may be used as a shelter, provided the basic safety guidelines are followed. You need to have a shelter area that's accessible at all times of the day or night.

Mobile Homes

Even an EF-1 tornado, typically considered a "weak tornado", will most likely severely damage a mobile home and/or roll it over. This is why tornado safety plans are so crucial for residents of mobile homes!

Pictured below is a destroyed mobile home southeast of Wewoka from a tornado in 1998. This is an example of what an EF-1 tornado can do to a mobile home.

* Courtesy of https://www.weather.gov/oun/safety-severe-homesafety

Winter Storms

11/11/2019 (Permalink)

Severe winter storms can have a tremendous impact on individuals, animals, and communities. Cold temperatures, snow, ice, blizzard conditions with high winds and dangerous wind chills can all occur, leading to personal injury and possibly deaths. High winds combined with cold temperatures speeds the rate of heat loss to the body making serious health problems, such as frostbite or hypothermia more likely. Additional fatalities may occur from vehicle accidents, fires or carbon monoxide poisoning following the misuse of heaters. Dangerous driving conditions can lead to travelers being stranded on the road. Accumulations of snow and ice can result in road closures or blockages – isolating homes and farms for days. The heavy weight burden may cause roofs to collapse or knock down trees and power lines resulting in power outages and subsequent loss of heat in homes. Animals are also at risk during severe winter weather and are subject to wind chill factors, hypothermia and frostbite. Deaths can also occur due to dehydration, when water sources freeze and become unavailable. Winter conditions may make getting food and water to animals more difficult. Unprotected livestock may be lost. Businesses must also make preparations for winter storm situations. Protection of their employees will be necessary to ensure their safety. Employees that must work outdoors during extreme situations should be provided the necessary education on risk and measures to stay safe.

*Courtesy of: http://www.prep4agthreats.org/Natural-Disasters/winter-storms

Best 2019 Hurricane Tracker Apps for iPhone and iPad: Track Tropical Cyclones Accurately

8/2/2019 (Permalink)

What’s the better way to keep an eye on the upcoming tornado and avoid falling prey to it? Pretty simple; take the help of the live map and accurate forecasts to remain a step ahead of the cyclone! We have reviewed the best hurricane tracker apps for iPhone 2019 to let you get timely alerts and monitor tropical cyclones with ease.

Based on your requirements, you can perfectly customize the apps to get precise local predictions. What’s more, they also offer you very helpful advice regarding how to deal with cyclones. Jump right in to explore them all!

Best Hurricane Tracker Apps for iPhone and iPad in 2019

#1. WeatherBug

No list of top weather apps would be complete without WeatherBug. It features an interactive map to let you instantly access all the information that matters to you.

You can use the 10-day forecasts to keep bad weather away from spoiling your party. You can take a peek at the weather conditions with 18 weather maps.

It lets you check Doppler radar in multiple countries like United States, Canada, Mexico, Alaska, and Hawaii. Even better, it also allows you to check real-time traffic conditions to avoid getting stuck on the way.

#2. The Weather Channel

“The Weather Channel” is second to none when it comes to delivering correct local weather forecasts. What makes this app a great asset is the capability to show weather forecasts for the next 15 days. You can take the utmost advantage of the predictions to plan your holidays and upcoming events perfectly.

It offers in-depth info regarding sunset times and tides to help you stay updated. The live alerts with safety alerts ensure you remain safe and can avoid bad weather. Additionally, you can upgrade to the ($3.99) premium version of the app to use it without any ads.

#3. Weather Live

When it comes to providing to-the-minute weather prediction, “Weather Live” is the one that excels. You can use this highly efficient app to access the current temperature quickly and view the accurate forecast for the coming hours and days.

The built-in hurricane Tracker shows past and current positions of tropical storms and their predicted path. Thus, you can deal with them in a better way.

The daily report with the latest weather data keeps you updated. With the help of the adjustable weather layout, you can effortlessly access only the desired info.

Additionally, the app has the support for multiple languages like English, Danish, Dutch, French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese and more.

When it comes to providing to-the-minute weather prediction, “Weather Live” is the one that excels. You can use this highly efficient app to access the current temperature quickly and view the accurate forecast for the coming hours and days.

The built-in hurricane Tracker shows past and current positions of tropical storms and their predicted path. Thus, you can deal with them in a better way.

The daily report with the latest weather data keeps you updated. With the help of the adjustable weather layout, you can effortlessly access only the desired info.

#4. Dark Sky

Dark Sky is yet another full-fledged weather app that delivers the wealth of information. Rated as the number one app in weather category and having got four and a half stars out of 4.6K ratings, it’s highly appreciated by users.

With the help of your GPS, the app offers you personalized weather forecasts for your precise location. Hence, you never get caught in bad weather and plan your outing smartly.

With the top-notch radar animation, you can view the actual path of the storm. Even better, you will also be able to create custom alerts for temperature, wind, and precipitation to remain notified about what’s to come!

#5. Storm Shield

For keeping you updated about the storm and extreme weather conditions, “Storm Shield” is up to the mark. Based on your requirement, you can fine-tune the notifications to keep you notified only about preferred things.

Radar map makes it very straightforward to check out what’s happening at your selected locations. To keep the unwanted stuff away, it also lets you adjust the weather layers to show on the map. Moreover, you can make the most of the Today widget to track the weather conditions right from the lock screen.

#6. Hurricane Tracker

This one is specifically designed to let you keep track of the hurricane. The app offers real-time information and is pretty accurate. With the timely notifications, it keeps you alerted whenever new storm seems to be making its way or threatens landfall.

You can take advantage of custom graphics to track the extreme weather conditions with ease. It offers in-depth tropical wave/invest information.

Aren’t good at monitoring hurricane? No problem, you can watch the videos to learn how to get it done easily.

#7. Weather Underground

If you are in search of a complete weather app, give “Weather Underground” a serious look. Thanks to a vast network of more than 270,000 personal weather stations, it’s known to deliver hyper-local forecasts and current conditions. You can keep track of global storms using the hurricane and tropical storm tile.

With the 10-day forecasts, it keeps you a step ahead and allows you to plan your travel perfectly. The health tile works pretty well in letting you track air quality, UV risk, and local flu outbreaks.

Furthermore, you will also be able to report local weather conditions to help other people.

#8. National Hurricane Center Data

“National Hurricane Center Data” is on point when it comes to letting you access the needed information about severe weather conditions.

With the detailed satellite imagery animations, you can easily monitor the storm and its pattern. Using 10 filters, you will be able to view the storm from various perspectives.

Based on your need, you can ideally configure the app to get alerts only about things that matter to you. Additionally, this app has the support for multiple languages like English, French, and Portuguese.

#9. NOAA SuperRes Radar US

NOAA has long been one of my favorite weather apps for iOS. What stands out for this app is the ability to provide accurate 7-day forecasts and quick alerts for severe weather conditions like a flash flood, tornado, and thunderstorm.

The app features multiple map styles such as terrain, map, satellite, and hybrid to let you access the desired info without any hassle. You can tap on the warning box to view the full warning message from the National Weather Service.

Besides, you will also be able to adjust the transparency of the radar or cloud cover overlays.

#10. Hurricane: American Red Cross

“Hurricane: American Red Cross” has won several popular awards and is highly recommended by experts. The best thing about this app is that you can seamlessly customize it to get the alerts about only selected places.

It provides real-time notifications to keep you in the loop about poor weather conditions. You can keep an eye on the hazards using the live map.

It offers step-by-step instructions about what you need to do before, after or during the storm. Moreover, you can also quickly notify your friend that you are safe through Facebook, Twitter, and other mediums.

# 11 Harmany

First things first, “Harmany” is not a hurricane tracker at all. Rather, it’s a Social sharing app. The reason why this app deserves to be included in this lineup is that it can turn out to be a true savior for the needy people.

When hurricane strikes and lives are badly affected, the people of the affected regions need immediate help. And that’s when Harmany can work as a lifesaver in helping people easily find temporary shelters. The app ensures the shelter-seekers don’t have to toil hard to get much-required assistance during a crisis.

Thanks to the smart filter options, it’s pretty easy to narrow down the search and find out desired shelters. With the use of the current GPS location, it shows the map listings of all the nearby places where needy can get all the required help.

It quickly notifies nearby hosts with real-time notifications to speed up the shelter booking process. Features like direct messaging and activity sharing make sure communication doesn’t come to a halt.

What’s more, Harmany also provides local emergency alerts and forecasts so that people can remain alert and safe. As I said before, it’s not an Huricane tracker, however, I suggest you to install the same on iDevice to secure your place during ill-fated situation.

That’s it, folks!

*Courtesy of: https://www.igeeksblog.com/best-hurricane-tracker-iphone-ipad-apps/

Hurricane Season is Here

7/31/2019 (Permalink)

It may seem early, but hurricane season is currently underway. For the Atlantic, the season begins June 1 and runs through November 30. The Eastern Pacific hurricane season began in mid-May and also ends November 30.

Hurricanes can be life-threatening as well as cause serious property threatening hazards such as flooding, storm surge, high winds, and tornadoes. While the primary threat is in coastal areas, many inland areas can also be affected by these hazards, as well as by secondary events such as power outages as a result of high winds and landslides due to rainfall.

Preparation is the best protection against the dangers of a hurricane. Plan an evacuation route and your emergency plan, take inventory of your property, and take steps to protect your home or business. For more information and preparation tips, visit the Ready campaign website at www.ready.gov/hurricanes.

*Courtesy of Restoration Newsline Vol 29, Iss 6

A Salute to First Responders

7/25/2019 (Permalink)

“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” This famous Mr. Rogers quote comes to mind when we celebrate first responders: those who arrive first on the scene of any disaster or emergency.

In the event of a disaster or emergency, there are many different agencies and people in your community who are ready to respond. Whether it’s a house fire or a hurricane, we are thankful every day for these first responders.

Firefighters, EMTs, and Police

Local fire and police departments, as well as Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs), are often first on the scene of an emergency. In the U.S., there are more than 29,700 fire departments with 1,160,450 total firefighters, according to the National Fire Protection Association’s 2015 U.S. Fire Department Profile.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are almost 245,000 EMTs and paramedics in the U.S. In the U.S. there are about 18,000 federal, state, county, and local law enforcement agencies, employing more than 750,000 fulltime sworn officers, according to the Uniformed Crime Reporting Program collected by the FBI.

Military

When events such as natural disasters strike, different branches of the military are often a first line of response. The Army National Guard and Air National Guard, with over 342,000 soldiers, respond domestically when deployed by their state Governor, often during states of emergency from weather-related events. They can also be called upon during terrorist attacks or civil unrest, or called overseas by the President of the United States.

Active duty soldiers can also be called upon for certain domestic events as well.

FEMA Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)

As a part of FEMA’s Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), these volunteers are trained to be prepared for any disasters that may affect your local area in an effort to support professional responders. CERT volunteers are trained in “basic disaster response skills such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations,” according to FEMA.

With more than 2,700 CERT programs, over 600,000 individuals have been trained nationwide. Teams are managed locally, but supported nationally by FEMA.

SERVPRO® of Floyd County recognizes these and the countless other first responders in our communities for keeping our communities safe.

*Courtesy of Restoration Newsline Vol 29, Iss 4

Be Flood Smart

3/6/2019 (Permalink)

Floods are one of the most common and widespread natural disasters in the United States. Whether your home or business is near a coastline, along city streets, in the mountains, near a river or even in the desert-there is always potential for flood damage. Floodsmart.gov reports, in the last five years, all 50 states have experienced floods or flash floods.

According to the American Red Cross (ARC), floods cause more damage in the U.S. every year than any other weather-related disaster. The ARC offers the following flood safety tips.

• Stay away from floodwaters. If you come up on a flowing stream where water is above your ankles, stop, turn around and go another way. Six inches of swiftly moving water can sweep you off of your feet.
• If you approach a flooded road while driving, turn around and go another way. If you are caught on a flooded road and waters are rising rapidly around you, get out of the car quickly and move to higher ground. Most cars can be swept away by less than two feet of moving water.
• Keep children out of the water. They are curious and often lack judgment about running water or contaminated water.

If a flood does strike your home or business, contact SERVPRO® of Floyd County. Even minor floods have the potential to cause major damage to a structure when not treated quickly and properly, and the cleanup is often an overwhelming task. The SERVPRO® System is prepared to handle any size disaster. When fire and water take control of your life, SERVPRO® of Floyd County will help you take it back.

* Courtesy of Restoration Newsline Vol 30, Iss 3