Soggy Holidays

2/3/2020 (Permalink)

Pretend you are a business owner. One week before Christmas the department store that you own is bustling with a crowd of shoppers.  Instead of the white snowy holiday that everyone dreams about; a torrential downpour begins.  Suddenly, streams of water begin to flow through the ceiling tiles. A flood soon envelops half of the store.  The stores’ roof may have withstood the last rain storm – but not this one. 

  The employees are overwhelmed by the speed and saturation of the water.  Numerous buckets and receptacles are placed to try to capture as much water as possible but soon they realize an immediate emergency response is needed.  A call to their insurance agent starts the clock for a SERVPRO response that has a full crew dispatched to their location very quickly.

  Safety is always our first priority when we respond to a scene where the public may be present.  First, we isolate the affected areas and restrict access so as to ensure no slips or falls.  We will also check for any electrical hazards and work to eliminate any threat.  Once the area is safely secured – extraction and drying can begin; as well as steps toward full remediation.

  Ceiling, carpets and flooring as well as merchandise are all effected. Immediately following the drying process, the SERVPRO team begins the demolition steps to remove damaged materials.  Our crew stayed on the scene daily for over two weeks until their efforts were complete.  The store was able to remain open during their work and holiday sales were saved with very little disruption to the shoppers.  

  A water leak or leaks can create a great deal of damage in a short period of time and without the skill of our professional team; the store may have faced closure and lost more revenue.  SERVPRO of Sussex County specializes in these types of emergencies and we have over 25 years of experience in solving these problems.  A visit to the store earlier this week, showed little evidence that such an event ever occurred and immediately the phrase came to mind….Like it never even happened!