Preparing for Summer Storms in the Buffalo Area | SERVPRO of Central Buffalo

8/2/2023 (Permalink)

Has your Western NY home or business been hit by a recent storm? Call SERVPRO of Central Buffalo to restore your space to preloss condition.

The summer season is always eventful here in our area, and we certainly have seen our fair share of storms, wind and rain already this year. While some storms may be welcome if they bring in a cold front and soft, gentle rain, others can blow in fiercely and cause serious damage in a short amount of time.

Damage can occur in the blink of an eye and is usually caused by high winds or heavy rain. By understanding each threat and what it means for your house, you can take steps to avoid more serious damage when the next storm rolls into town. 

When the Wind Blows

Wind is something we all know and love/hate around here. Wind whips easily across the lake and can really pick up speed when it is accompanied by a thunderstorm. Regular thunderstorms can bring winds around 40 miles per hour, but stronger storms can easily cause straight-line winds up to 100 miles per hour.

These winds don’t have any rotation in them, so they can create a strong downburst that will take down trees, topple power lines and throw around yard debris with ease. 

If the next storm is predicted to have high winds, take the time around your home to pick up any yard debris and tie down lawn furniture and equipment. Bring anything inside the house or garage that you can to reduce your risk of impact damages when the wind picks up. 

When the Rain Comes Pouring In 

Another threat in our area is heavy rain. Thunderstorms can dump a lot of rain onto our area in mere minutes, which can easily overwhelm your gutters and low-lying areas around your home. Water has the innate ability to get into the tiniest of cracks and gaps in your home, and it can leak down your walls and under your floors without much warning. 

In order to reduce this risk, take the time to clear your gutters regularly so the rain has a place to go when it starts to fall, and be sure to point your downspouts away from your foundation. You should also get up on your roof to check for any signs of damage after every storm. If you overlook a broken or missing shingle now, you will suffer the consequences when rain starts pouring into your attic during the next storm. 

How We Can Help

Even if you do everything right and are prepared for the weather, storm damage can still surprise you and occur without much warning. That’s where we come in! 

We can be at your home right away, and we will start by securing your space with tarps and boards to protect the rest of your belongings while we work. We will fix any leaks and dry out your home with ease and confidence.

If the wind or water left your home with any sort of damage, we can handle the entire reconstruction process from start to finish. Impact damages like a fallen tree on your roof or a shattered window may seem overwhelming to you, but we have the tools and experience to help you overcome this sort of damage right away. 

Don’t let storm damage keep you down. Call SERVPRO® of Central Buffalo for immediate assistance.

Top Tips for Handling a Water Leak | SERVPRO of Central Buffalo

8/2/2023 (Permalink)

Have you been affected by a recent water leak? Call SERVPRO of Central Buffalo to help restore your place to preloss condition.

We all can appreciate the easy access to water in our homes. After all, we use it every day to wash our hands, prepare our meals and even give the family dog a bath at the end of the day. However, this easy access also means that water is flowing behind our walls in our pipes and appliances every day, which can lead to disaster if a single accident or malfunction occurs.

Recognizing an emerging water issue right away can help reduce your risk of serious damage, but you have to know where to look and what to do! Our team explains some easy steps to follow to contain a water leak and what to do afterwards below. 

Locating the Water Source

If you come home and notice a puddle of water where it shouldn’t be or you have standing water in your basement, stay calm and track down the source. If something is actively leaking, it can be easy to pinpoint, but it also might take some investigative work! 

Once you find it, find the appropriate water valve and shut it off, and turn off the electricity if it was caused by an appliance to make sure it can’t turn on again.

Once the source of water is contained, take a step back and assess the damage. Avoid walking through any standing water, and take some pictures of whatever damage you see. Fresh images will help make your insurance claim process easier for everyone involved. Then pick up the phone and call SERVPRO® of Central Buffalo!

Our Water Damage Restoration Process

We are trained to handle every sort of water damage situation imaginable, so don’t hesitate to call us whenever you discover water issues in your home. We will jump into action after our first phone call and arrive at your doorstep quickly. 

We will locate the source of the leak, repair pipes, cracks or gaps to fix the problem, and then turn our attention to drying out your home.

Water has the ability to cause widespread damage in minutes because it will leak and seep into every available crack and gap. We will use our thermal imaging cameras to detect hidden moisture, and we will use our air movers and blowers to make sure every drop is removed. After that, we can repair warped walls or floors and even replace ruined carpet. 

We are here for whatever you need! Call SERVPRO of Central Buffalo whenever you discover water damage in your home.

What Does ‘Pre-Loss Condition’ Mean? | SERVPRO of Central Buffalo

7/26/2023 (Permalink)

Has your Western NY house been damaged in a recent storm? Call SERVPRO of Central Buffalo to get your home back in shape.

If you’ve ever seen a SERVPRO® ad or visited our website, you’ve probably seen us talk about restoring a home or business to “preloss condition.” But what exactly does that mean?

Sometimes we have to hit pause and remember that those who don’t have their hands in restoration and construction work every day may not be familiar with the jargon we use. Honestly, though, this term is a pretty simple one!

When we talk about doing work on your home that returns it to preloss condition, we literally mean what your house was like before it was impacted by damage. That means the way it looked and felt before your water heater started leaking or a kitchen fire took out a wall of cabinets.

That’s true for both our restoration work, where we mitigate the damage you’ve experienced, and our construction work, where we reconstruct after mitigating damage.

What Makes SERVPRO Different
Wondering why you should choose SERVPRO when you need construction services? There are many reasons! 

We are your neighbors. We’re locally owned and operated, meaning we know the ins and outs of our Buffalo community. We know how to navigate regulations and how to obtain the necessary permitting to complete construction projects.

We have a “restore vs. replace” mentality. When a disaster like water damage impacts your home, the costs can quickly add up. One of our first priorities when starting on a project is to save as much as we can. That helps limit costs and it also helps to preserve as many of your precious belongings as possible.

We handle the whole process from start to finish. There’s no need to work with multiple vendors when SERVPRO can handle it all! When you call us, we’ll take it from there, handling everything from an initial inspection and estimate to mitigation, restoration and construction. That ensures we have our eyes on all the details, all the time.

We recreate the home you love so much. When we provide restoration and construction services, our focus is on making your house “Like it never even happened.” That’s more than a simple catchphrase to us—it means that we will use similar products and processes to those used in the initial construction of your home, restoring it back to preloss condition.

Ready to start on a construction project? Reach out to us today to get started!

Fire Safety Inside and Out | SERVPRO of Central Buffalo

6/16/2023 (Permalink)

Have you experienced a fire in your home or business recently? Call SERVPRO of Central Buffalo to restore your space to preloss condition.

Your home should be your sanctuary—a place of comfort and peace, but also a place of joy and entertainment. The place where you watch your kids grow and chase your four-legged friends around the yard.

When something means so much to you, safety has to be one of your top priorities. We don’t want to anticipate disasters, but we have to consider the possibilities so we can prepare for them.

Fire disasters at home can be completely devastating. Even a small fire can cause widespread smoke damage, leaving behind stains and odors in rooms that weren’t even near the flames.

The good news is that most house fires are preventable. When you make fire safety a priority in your home, you can stay prepared and never lose a minute of joy.

Contents Restoration After A Fire

8/3/2022 (Permalink)

SERVPRO is available 24/7 when fire has damaged your property.

Our team was recently called into a fire damaged property in which several apartments were in the building were affected. The electrical fire started in the basement on the 3 family home but smoke odors and soot could be found on every floor. When our project manager arrived on the scene she immediately took notice of several personal items that were covered in soot but not damaged. Our team recognized these items could be saved and took them into storage for cleaning and restoration.

We are able to restore several items that many people would not expect salvageable after fire damage. Items such as textiles, like blankets, curtains and clothing, electronics like computers and TVs and furniture can all be cleaned and restored if these items were not directly affected by heat and fire.

This is why SERVPRO is recognized as the #1 Restoration Company to call when your commercial or residential property is affected by fire, smoke or soot. Our team of technicians, and highly trained construction and project managers allow us to work more efficiently to move your project from restoration to reconstruction to completion.

Storm Flooding Damage Repair Team

8/3/2022 (Permalink)

SERVPRO water damage response is available 24/7 and ready to help you restore your home to preloss condition. Call us now.

When heavy rain bring flooding into a residential home the first few hours of action are crucial to a successful recovery. SERVPRO of Central Buffalo has the pros you need when water is present in your home. We provide fast service, bring our drying equipment on arrival, and aim to protect parts of your home not directly affected by the water damage before mold begins to grow.

Your project manager will quickly identify the most efficient way to remove water and moisture from the home to achieve this goal. If needed we have the ability to quickly scale up production on your home and bring in equipment and labor to ensure we are able to reduce the amount of time needed to reduce the overall humidity in the home.

If needed we are able to remove saturated building materials such as flooring and drywall if it is beyond repair. Then, our reconstruction team is ready to move in and rebuild your home and restore it back to preloss conditions. 

Storm Damage Restoration & Repair 24/7

8/1/2022 (Permalink)

SERVPRO's Storm Response Team is Available when you need help recovering from natural disasters. Call us today

SERVPRO's Storm Response Team was created to assist in the organization of larger chains of command in the case of a severe storm. It is evident that we are dedicated to these kinds of unpredicted events. Our team is willing to risk their lives in order to help communities recover from dangerous and unpleasant situations. You can see our green and orange trucks in the background of news feeds from nearly every major storm in the past three decades. This is due to our ability quickly to increase our workforce and equip ourselves with the necessary equipment and then mobilize.

Our franchises can mobilize equipment and a skilled workforce thousands of miles when called upon to assist in the recovery efforts following a natural disaster. Our own team includes some of the best storm restoration technicians and project managers. Our 11 franchises are located along the east coast, from New Jersey to New York City to Boston. 

We are also prepared for major storms and we will mobilize our team to help those in need. Pre-storm services include board-up, pump and sandbag installation and many other things. We provide emergency services for residential and commercial properties.

We will be monitoring all major hurricanes during hurricane season and will be available to assist in an emergency. We can help you if your building is at risk of flooding. You can have a project manager visit your property to help you document it and be more prepared to manage the restoration of your property in case of major storms.

Hurricane Lull in July is Common, Potential For Storms Could be Ahead

7/27/2022 (Permalink)

SERVPRO's storm team is available when major storms are forecasted for your area, call us 24/7.

2022 has been one of the hottest years on record. However, so far there has been little hurricane activity in the Atlantic Ocean. Although scientists predicted that this hurricane season would be active, we have not seen much activity over the past few weeks. This is despite a few tropical systems in the early days of the season. This is normal for July, but it doesn't mean that we are done yet.

When a hurricane or tropical storm warning is in effect, it is important that you pay close attention to local meteorologists and officials. SERVPRO can help you before and after major storm events. We have managed properties throughout the northeast during all major storms that have hit the region in the past two decades. We have also provided services such as window/glass board-up, flood preparation and sandbag installation, water removal and pump out services, drying services and demolition, clean up, and construction. We are a one-stop shop for storm restoration services.

We are ready and available for any major storm, and we will help residential and commercial property owners in the event of damage.

Call us today if you are a resident or commercial property owner in a flood-prone area. If damage occurs, we can assess your property and determine the best course of action.

Smoke & Soot Clean-Up, Fire Damage Repair

7/25/2022 (Permalink)

SERVPRO fire damage and repair includes soot and smoke odor removal, call us today.

The summer heat waves of 2022 have already broken temperature records all over the world. Spain's meteorologists decided to begin naming these heat wave events (like hurricanes) after the extent of the heat-related destruction and deaths. Forest fires across Europe and the US have forced thousands to flee their homes in search for safer areas. The summer is still only halfway over.

There is little to no chance that residential or commercial properties will survive an out-of control forest fire. But even properties located miles from the flames can suffer fire, smoke and soot damage. SERVPRO is available for help in restoring properties from smoke and soot damage and cleaning up and repairing buildings that have been directly affected by fire.

Our team can manage and solve issues caused by smoke and soot, such as:

• Sanitizing all surfaces
• Remove all visible soot
• Removal of odors
• Cleaning of textiles (clothings rugs curtains etc.
• Restoration of furniture
• Repair of electronics
• Reconstruction

SERVPRO is your #1 choice for fire restoration. Contact us immediately if your commercial or residential property has been damaged. Our team will respond immediately to your call so that we can save as much of the property that is damaged.

SERVPRO's Storm Team is Prepared For 2022

7/8/2022 (Permalink)

SERVPRO of Central Buffalo helps when major storms and flooding devastate communities. We go anywhere where we are needed.

In June 2022, several records were broken for high temperatures across the country. Experts believe this is only a beginning of what will be a very hot summer. In the south, records are being set for consecutive days of low temps over 90 degrees. This is where there is no relief from the heat. High heat and prolonged drought are creating conditions for flash flooding in these areas, even if rains do fall. Because the ground is too dry to absorb water quickly, if there's a heavy rain or tropical storm, it will be difficult for the ground to absorb enough water. These large rain events are common during hurricane season. It has been slow-moving tropical storms and hurricanes with tons of moisture that have caused most property damage to residential and commercial properties in the United States over the years. It is impossible to plan for these kinds of storms. People should listen to local authorities, and be prepared to evacuate if their commercial or residential property is affected by flooding or storms. If damage occurs, we will be available to assist. Our experienced team of storm management and disaster recovery technicians is ready for any major storm in New England, New York, or anywhere else in the country.