Dealing with natural disasters can be stressful and traumatizing. But how can you prepare, anticipate, and mitigate for something catastrophic? Do you prepare and do everything yourself, or do you get help from disaster recovery specialists?
In the event of a natural or human-made disaster, your safety is the main priority. You need to make sure that your whole family is safe before anything else.
No matter how prepared you are, there will be unanticipated occasions that you won’t be able to control. A severe natural disaster could cause significant damage to your house, and we know how devastating it is to see the aftermath of a disaster.
Most people tend to clean up their house after a disaster. Minor fixes such as nailing the roof, repainting, and clean-up can be easily done without seeking a professional. But have you been wondering when to call a disaster recovery specialist? This article will explain why DIY disaster recovery is not advisable for some types of disaster and when to contact a professional.
DIY Disaster Recovery
Recovering from a disaster can be emotionally and physically exhausting. Thinking about how to start repairing the damages and how much it would cost—it’s too much of a hassle. That’s why most people opt to do these repairs themselves. Some examples of DIY disaster recovery that you can do to make your home look good as new are:
- Deck Repair
- Leaky Gutters and Downspouts Repair
- Roof Shingles Replacement
- Shrubs and Damaged Tree Trimming and Removal
- Door and Windows Replacing and/or Resealing
If your premises were damaged by a hurricane, flood, tornado, hail, or blizzard, you could theoretically fix everything yourself. However, do you have the required carpentry, masonry, plumbing, and electrician skills? And even if you have those skills, do you have the mental fortitude to repair your home after seeing all your hard-earned belongings and house damaged?
When To Call A Disaster Recovery Specialist
If it’s an emergency, call a disaster recovery specialist right away! Especially in the event of fire or explosion and severe weather damage, you need to seek help from these experts.
Fire
If your house was burned by a fire or explosion, do not carelessly access the damaged area for safety reasons. There could be toxic fumes and items that can fall on you. It is better to call a disaster recovery specialist who has the right gear and experience to deal with it.
Flood
If flood water submerged the whole first floor of your house, consider it an emergency. Water could cause massive damage to your property and could be hazardous as well, even if the flood subsides. Mold and rot could lead to major structural damages, which can easily go unnoticed until it’s too late.
Water damage from flooding could also cause sewage problems. It is essential to get a professional because sewage could contain bacteria, viruses, and other nasty substances unsafe for everyone.
Severe Weather Damage
Damages from a severe storm would also necessitate a call to disaster recovery specialists. Damaged roof shingles are just one of the things you should worry about after a storm.
But if it comes with heavy rain and hail, you may have bigger problems like trees and utility poles falling on your house. Unless you have a forklift, excavator, or you’re superman, you’ll waste a reasonable amount of time sawing off or removing the tree or pole.
Why Is A Disaster Recovery Plan Important?
We all know how a disaster could damage and ruin your property. That’s why you should always prepare for what’s coming. Whether it’s just a minor disaster or whatnot, you should be equipped to avoid severe problems in the future.
Here are some tips in preparing yourself for disaster recovery:
- Know when to call the pros. Always keep a contact number for emergency services, including your disaster recovery specialist.
- Focus on your safety. Your safety should be your priority. You should only take action when disaster has passed and then call the professionals immediately.
- Coordinate with your Insurance. Make sure to coordinate with your house insurance if disaster recovery is covered. That way, you’ll be able to prepare for the recovery cost in case of major damages.
Do You Need a Disaster Recovery Specialist?
However, you can simplify everything and let disaster recovery specialists like Americon Restoration do all that for you. We’ll handle everything from planning up to the cleanup and recovery. We know you may have concerns about COVID-19 and we want to assure you that we are doing everything in our power to keep our employees and our customers healthy and safe. Americon Restoration is taking all necessary precautions before entering our customers’ homes and closely following CDC guidelines. We want you and your family to feel safe and stay healthy! Please contact us through our website or by phone at (216) 221-5200.