T-Day Bird Frying Safety Tips

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, many people will be plunging their fresh, store bought turkeys in to the turkey fryers.  Even experienced professionals need to be reminded of a few rules...

Firesafety.gov recommends:

·         Place the turkey fryer on a level surface, in an open area away from homes, fences, sheds, and other structures.

• Never place the fryer on a wooden deck or porch or in a garage or carport.
• Leave at least 2 feet between the fryer and the propane tank.
• Keep the fryer in full view at all times.
• Keep children and pets away from the fryer.
• Check the oil temperature often. If you see smoke coming from the oil, turn off the gas right away.
• Completely thaw and dry the turkey before frying. Adding a partially frozen or wet turkey to the pot makes the oil splatter a lot, causing a fire or explosion hazard.
• Cover bare skin before adding or removing food from the fryer.
• Raise and lower food slowly to avoid splattering or spilling oil.
• Use the right amount of oil. To find out how much oil to use, read the fryer's instructions, or:
• Place the turkey in the pot.
• Fill with water until the turkey is covered by an inch of water.
• Remove the turkey and pat dry.
• Mark the water level in the pot.
• Dump the water, dry the pot, and fill oil to the level marked.
• If the fryer catches fire, call 911 right away. Do not try to put it out with water.

Enjoy your fried turkey and have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Dealing with Disaster Realted Stress

The worst has happened.. now what.  How do you maintain composure and rebuild?  Here are some tips from FEMA:

• Talk with someone about your feelings - anger, sorrow, and other emotions - even though it may be difficult.
• Seek help from professional counselors who deal with post-disaster stress.
• Do not hold yourself responsible for the disastrous event or be frustrated because you feel you cannot help directly in the rescue work.
• Take steps to promote your own physical and emotional healing by healthy eating, rest, exercise, relaxation, and meditation.
• Maintain a normal family and daily routine, limiting demanding responsibilities on yourself and your family.
• Spend time with family and friends.
• Participate in memorials.
• Use existing support groups of family, friends, and religious institutions.
• Ensure you are ready for future events by restocking your disaster supplies kits and updating your family disaster plan. Doing these positive actions can be comforting.

Flood Facts

As posted on Floodsmart.Gov

* Floods and flash floods happen in all 50 states.
* Everyone lives in a flood zone. (For more information, visit our Flood Zones FAQs.)
* Most homeowners insurance does not cover flood damage.
* If you live in a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) or high-risk area and have a Federally backed mortgage, your mortgage lender requires you to have flood insurance.
* Just an inch of water can cause costly damage to your property.
* Flash floods often bring walls of water 10 to 20 feet high.
* A car can easily be carried away by just two feet of floodwater.
* Hurricanes, winter storms and snowmelt are common (but often overlooked) causes of flooding.
* New land development can increase flood risk, especially if the construction changes natural runoff paths.
* In a high-risk area, your home is more than twice as likely to be damaged by flood than by fire.
* The average annual U.S. flood losses in the past 10 years (1994-2004) were more than $2.4 billion.

What to do after a flood

The news is awash with reports of massive flooding in NC.  Images of people kayaking in the street are abundant so what should you do when a flood occurs?  Per floodsmart,gov:

[ As soon as floodwater levels have dropped, it’s time to start the recovery process. Here’s what you can do to begin restoring your home.

• Check for structural damage before re-entering your home to avoid being trapped in a building collapse.
• Take photos of any floodwater in your home and save any damaged personal property.
• Make a list of damaged or lost items and include their purchase date and value with receipts, and place with the inventory you took prior to the flood. Some damaged items may require disposal, so keep photographs of these items.
• Keep power off until an electrician has inspected your system for safety.
• Boil water for drinking and food preparation until authorities tell you that your water supply is safe.
• Prevent mold by removing wet contents immediately.
• Wear gloves and boots to clean and disinfect. Wet items should be cleaned with a pine-oil cleanser and bleach, completely dried, and monitored for several days for any fungal growth and odors.]

 If you are in Central FL and have similar problems... call us for your water extraction needs.  We are industry professionals and will store your home to it's preflood (aka preloss) condition.  Click [HERE] to see our list of professional certifications and for more contact options.

What is Water Damage?

As this is the crux of our service, it is important to inform the reader of what it is and why they should care.

Per Wikipedia:

[Water damage describes a large number of possible losses caused by water intruding where it will enable attack of a material or system by destructive processes such as rotting of wood, growth, rusting of steel, de-laminating of materials such as plywood , and many, many others. The damage may be imperceptibly slow and minor such as water spots that could eventually mar a surface, or it may be instantaneous and catastrophic such as flooding. However fast it occurs, water damage is a very major contributor to loss of property.

One's homeowner's insurance policy may or may not cover the costs associated with water damage and the process of water damage restoration. While a common cause of residential water damage is often the failure of a sump pump, many homeowner's insurance policies do not cover the associated costs without an addendum which adds to the monthly premium of the policy.]

The article continues to outline the detrimental and debilitating effects of mold and to suggest the employment of a certified professional water damage restoration company to restore the property and to eliminate the potential, hidden dangers inherent and invisible in a nonprofessional cleanup... we couldn't have said it better ourselves!

With 19 industry professional certifications and 24/7/365 emergency service available, Emergency Response Restoration ("ERR") is the de facto professional restoration expert servicing Volusia, Flagler, and St. Johns counties. Click [HERE] to see what ERR can do for you!

Flood Damage 101

According to the National Flood Insurance Program, floods are the most common natural disaster in the United States. Thousands of claims are filed each year for flood damage to homes. In fact, South Florida residents purchase over 900,000 flood insurance policies through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) at a cost of over $252 million every year. Many Florida buildings are located in flood-prone areas near the ocean, streams, rivers or in other low/marsh lands, and even a light steady rain can put these areas at risk. If your home has been flooded because of a storm, roof leak, or defective pipe, it is important to hire a water extraction service to minimize the permanent damage.

Flooding and Property Damage

A flood can cause significant damage to a home or business. Wood and other permeable materials can absorb water and quickly begin to rot. The water may seep under the flooring if left to sit, saturating the materials underneath. If your home or business has flooded and you need to clear out standing water, consider contacting a water extraction service. As mold can quickly grow in damp areas, even if most of the water has been cleared out, it is important to choose a quality service that will remove not only standing water but also the water that has leached into the flooring.

How Water Extraction Can Help

While water extraction may not be able to undo flood damage to your furniture, cabinetry, and other fixtures, it can revert your home or business into the same condition it was prior to the water damage – also known as preloss condition. Using state of the art, high powered equipment, a professional water extraction service can remove the water and contaminants that are caused by the water damage. If all of the water is quickly cleared from your carpet, tile, or other flooring, the damage to your home or business will be minimized.

Home Safety Council

We have partnered with Home Safety Council to provide you with a TON of information on how to keep your home and your family safe before, during, and after a disaster.

Per the website:
[The Expert Network is the official source for the Home Safety Literacy Project.  The Project is a national initiative that helps reach high-fire-risk audiences through home safety education designed specifically for adults learning to read English.]

We applaud this partnership and look forward to bringing you timely information to keep you and your safe!

FREE Hurricane Preparation Tool

This hurricane season appears to be very active as four storms are already named and threatening the US Atlantic coast.  While none of the storms are expected to make land fall, at the present moment, any of the storms could wobble and make a huge mess for the residents of the Eastern United States.

IT IS TIME TO MAKE A HURRICANE PLAN

Most of us neither have the time nor the expertise to make a bullet proof plan especially when considering Hurricane Earl is already outside of the US.  Residents of many states are holding their breath as this category 4 storm slowly heads north.  The GOOD news is: OneStorm is providing a FREE online hurricane preparation plan!

The online plan is simple to use but it does take, approximately, 20 minutes so for those who cannot sit still or have 20 minutes to spare, OneStorm also provides a basic PDF plan you can simply download and fill in the blanks. Our hat goes off to OneStorm  and its community partner, Publix, for providing this tool!

Should worse come to worse, however, you can depend on restoration experts at Emergency Response Restoration to return your property to a the same quality before the hurricane damage.

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Emergency Response Restoration 

"As if it never happened"

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Links:

Emergency Response Restoration - http://www.emergencyresponserestoration.com/

OneStorm  - http://www.onestorm.org
OneStorm Community Partner: Publix - http://www.publix.com/