5 Ways to Prepare Your Trumbull County Homes for Storms

11/22/2019 (Permalink)

SERVPRO of Southern Trumbull County is here to help 24/7 for any and all storm and water emergencies.

The North East Ohio and North West Pennsylvania areas have seen some amazing storms this year. These storms have brought record rain fall, hail, damaging winds and flooding.

No one can predict if this type of weather is the new “norm” or if we simply had an unusually rough spring and summer. However, what we can do is take steps to insure we are prepared for storm events.

Here are some helpful tips to better prepare you in a storm event:

1. Assemble a “storm tote.” This tote contains flashlights, candles, batteries and a car charger for the cell phone. It sounds simple but it can make a huge difference when a storm hits and the power goes out. You may want to include a few small tools as well.

2. Take a walk around your home and take inventory of the following things:

• Are your gutters clean and flowing freely? Do they need repaired?
• Do you have any branches that are dying or low hanging that may damage the house in a storm?
• Are there any voids or cracks in the earth around the foundation of the home? Look for areas that water intrusion can easily take place in a storm event.
• How is the caulking around the windows? Does it need repaired?
• Is the roof in need of repair? Check shingles and flashing.
• Do you have a sump pump? Is it working properly? Has it been serviced (yes, they need serviced!) Do you have a battery backup? (batteries need serviced annually as well)
• Are the drains around your home clear of leaves and debris?

3. Consider having the drains around your home “jet cleaned” on a regular basis. This helps prevent unwanted drain backups.

4. Please remember to call your insurance agent and review your coverage limits. Is your coverage enough if you should experience a water loss?

5. Most importantly, in the event of a loss, time is crucial. The quicker you call SERVPRO, the quicker we can respond and begin mitigating damages. This gives you a much better chance of saving things in your home as SERVPRO makes it, “Like it never even happened.”