Tips for Protecting Your Home During Summer Storm Season
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Tips for Protecting Your Home During Summer Storm Season

SERVPRO® Damage Restoration Experts Advise Homeowners on Preparing for and Cleaning up After Summer Storms

GALLATIN, TN--(Marketwire - Jul 28, 2011) - The summer season brings warm weather, sunshine and balmy breezes. It also brings sudden, sometimes violent, storms that can leave homeowners wondering what hit them. SERVPRO® says that homeowners need to employ a two-pronged strategy to minimize the potential for property damage and injury from summer storms. First, take steps in advance of a summer storm strike and second, repair any property damage promptly -- before the next storm hits.

"Summer storm damage can range from wet basements to a devastating flood, and from downed tree limbs to a tree falling on your home," said Rick Isaacson, executive vice president of Servpro Industries, Inc. "No one can predict or protect themselves and their home from all the dangers of summer storms, but homeowners can take steps to help minimize the damage and remediation specialists like the franchise professionals at SERVPRO® can help clean-up and restore your home when damage does occur."

Isaacson says that keeping your roof in good repair, trimming trees near the house, and making certain that windows and doors are watertight and close securely are steps that all homeowners should take to keep summer storms at bay. For homeowners in areas threatened by frequent, severe thunderstorms, lightning protection systems, a network of cabling installed on the roof, may help prevent devastating fires resulting from a lightning strike. And homeowners in hurricane-prone locales may want to consider installing braces on garage doors, storm shutters on windows and deadbolts on doors to keep the wind out of the home. The positive pressure of wind in the home, combined with the negative pull of wind swirling above the home, can cause the roof to fly off.

In the aftermath of a summer storm, Isaacson recommends that homeowners make a quick inspection of their property by checking these areas:

  • Check the roof. Conduct an inspection from the ground to look for missing or loose shingles, especially around vent pipes, chimneys, etc. Then, move your inspection indoors, to the attic, and check for signs of water damage. Replace flashing if light shines through around vent pipes or the chimney. Leave roof repairs and on-the-roof inspections to the professionals.
  • Check your gutters. The leaves and other debris deposited into your gutters by a summer storm can prevent them from carrying water away from your roof, leading to water in your basement or living spaces. It's time to make immediate repairs if your gutter is hanging off the roof, leaking from the seams, overflowing during a rainstorm or missing, or if a downspout is disconnected from the gutter or the house. Some gutter problems are do-it-yourself projects; others require expert help, so be honest with yourself about your capabilities.
  • Check your deck. A severe storm can leave your deck damaged and unsafe, so it's important to check for damaged boards, loose fasteners, protruding nails and splinters on handrails and steps. Routine maintenance can repair most problems, but structural damage may make deck replacement necessary.

When summer storms leave devastating damage in their wake from flooding, fire and wind, SERVPRO® franchise professionals are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to begin the clean-up process immediately, before additional damage and health risks can develop. The remediation professionals at SERVPRO® guide homeowners through the initial steps of clean-up, and then professionally and thoroughly clean and restore homes and their furnishings to make it "Like it never even happened."

SERVPRO® franchise professionals specialize in disaster restoration, cleanup and repair services, helping to remediate fire or water damage for both commercial and residential customers. SERVPRO® also offers mold remediation, carpet and upholstery cleaning and other home-maintenance and restoration services.

For more information about SERVPRO®, please visit www.servpro.com.

About SERVPRO

Founded in 1967, the SERVPRO® franchise system is a national leader and provider of fire and water cleanup and restoration services and mold mitigation and remediation. SERVPRO's professional services network of more than 1,500 individually owned and operated franchises responds to property damage emergencies ranging from small individual disasters to multi-million dollar large-loss situations. Providing coverage in 48 states, the SERVPRO® System has established relationships with major insurance companies and commercial clients, as well as individual homeowners. All SERVPRO® franchises are independently owned and operated.

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