Hurricane Restoration Services

Serving Topsail Beach & Surrounding Communities

Wind damage can be severe extensive at the best of times but when hurricanes hit, they can result in absolute devastation leaving a property in ruins. This can be a highly traumatic experience for families, homeowners, and business owners no matter the extent of the destruction and can be very expensive of course as well.

Fortunately, hurricane restoration services exist in these situations to help reverse as much of the damage as possible and to make it possible for those affected to return to life as normal expediently. Here we will look at the many roles of hurricane restoration services, as well as how you can prepare for a potential hurricane and minimize the damage.

What Does a Hurricane do to a Property?

Hurricanes can cause a huge amount of damage to any property and this is often more extensive than we realize until we experience it first-hand.

The first threat from a hurricane comes in the form of the wind itself which is strong enough to rip off roofs in some cases, to pull fences out of the ground and to smash windows through pressure changes alone. This can also cause dirty water, mud, dust and dirt to be slung across your building and completely destroy gutters and eavestroughs.

An indirect result of this wind damage is that anything in your garden or in the surrounding area can become a dangerous projectile. If you have any rocks around your pond for instance, then a hurricane can pull them from the ground and smash them through your window, creating a very serious threat to your property and your health.

Hurricane restoration will also often involve fire damage and water damage. This is because strong winds can burst pipes, collapse electric pylons, create holes in the wall and ceiling and break gas pipes. Often then, hurricane damage can cause explosions, fires, and floods and this is before you take into account the lightning and heavy rain that will often accompany a hurricane.

This is just some of the damage that can be caused by a hurricane and that makes hurricane restoration so necessary. Let’s take a look at how these companies can then go about cleaning and restoring your home in the aftermath…

Hurricane Restoration Services – The Process

When you use hurricane restoration services, they should be able to act quickly to provide immediate relief and to prevent further damage. They will accomplish this by carrying out a number of different jobs and by going through a number of different steps, both of which we will look at here.

Emergency Contact

The first contact that a hurricane restoration company will have with you is when you call them up to secure their services. This is something you should do as quickly as possible, as the longer, you leave your property damaged, the more serious the damage will ultimately be. After a hurricane, your home may be left with a serious leak or with a wall missing which will result in the property getting wet and having dust, dirt, and debris blowing in. The sooner you deal with this, the less expensive this subsequent damage and mess will be.

Of course, the very first thing you should do is to call the emergency services to deal with any fire (if applicable) and to vacate the building. Both during and after the hurricane you should stay away from your property in case there is a gas leak or in case the structural integrity of your home has been affected. The safety of you and your family should always be the number one priority so don’t linger where there may be subsequent damage.

The best hurricane restoration companies will then be able to respond to your call quickly and come to your property. These companies offer 24/7 emergency services which ensures an expedient response when you need it most.

Assessment

Upon arrival, hurricane restoration will normally begin with an assessment process to ascertain the full extent of the damage and to come up with a plan.

Normally, hurricane damage will result in multiple aspects of your home being affected and may also cause floods, fires, and other problems. This makes a lot of work for hurricane restoration companies and makes it necessary for them to carefully decide in what order to tackle the various issues. This essentially boils down to a form of ‘project management’ which can ultimately save time and money in the long run.

The assessment process is also necessary so that hurricane restoration companies can offer an estimated budget and time frame which will allow you to make plans regarding alternative accommodation if necessary etc.

Immediate Concerns

Once hurricane restoration companies have a picture of the damage to your property and are ready to begin, they will start by addressing the most pressing matters that are potentially resulting in further damage to your property. In some cases, in fact, this will be the first thing they do even more assessment.

The point to bear in mind here is that sometimes hurricane damage can leave properties without roofs, with large holes in the wall, with shattered windows, with burst pipes or generally with all manner of other damage that leaves the premises exposed to the elements or under continued strain. If you have a burst pipe that’s resulting in your home being flooded, then this will continue to cause damage for every minute that you don’t address the problem. Likewise, if you have a broken window then it may be that dirt, dust, and other debris are blowing in. Hurricane restoration companies will start by restoring integrity to your building so that no further damage continues.

Removal and Disposal

The sad fact of the matter is that in some cases, hurricane restoration won’t be able to save all your belongings. If you have a carpet or drywall that has been flooded, or if you have a kitchen cabinet that has been burned to a cinder, then it may be that those items need to be disposed of. Hurricane restoration companies will then provide this service early on as that way they will gain more space to move around and carry out other jobs. At the same time, this can once again prevent your property from being damaged further – by contaminated water for instance.

As removing and disposing of furniture is a heavy job, many companies will also handle this step on your behalf.

Water Damage Restoration

Hurricane restoration actually involves a number of different jobs and services all rolled into one to provide a complete solution. As mentioned, hurricanes can often result in water damage through flooding, through rain or through other means. Fortunately, hurricane restoration companies can also provide water damage restoration which involves removing standing water (using large submersible pumps), cleaning and sanitizing the area and drying off your property.

When you get water damage restoration, the company will normally have to first assess the nature of the water that caused the damage. This means scoring it in terms of hygiene with category 1 (‘white’) water being the cleanest and category 3 (‘black’) water being the most unhygienic. Black water may potentially have come from the sewers or the toilet bowel and can carry disease, so it’s crucial that thorough cleaning is carried out for affected areas.

Water damage restoration then involves thorough drying which may also include the use of dehumidifiers to clean the air and remove moisture. In some cases, mold remediation may even be necessary in order to remove mold that may have grown as a result of the water damage. This is another reason why it’s so important to deal with water damage quickly – moist surfaces can otherwise begin growing mold in as little as 24 hours.

Fire Damage Restoration

Likewise, hurricane restoration can also sometimes involve fire damage restoration. This will be necessary if the hurricane has caused a burst pipe for instance, or if the hurricane was part of a larger storm with lightning. Water mixing with electricity can also sometimes lead to a fire.

Whatever the cause, often hurricane restoration will involve cleaning up damage caused by fires. This in turn, means following the line of smoke through the house to thoroughly clean any areas that were affected by the smoke or by the soot. This is crucial as apart from anything else it will remove bad odors which can otherwise linger in your property for a long time.

Roof Repair

One of the most vulnerable parts of your home when it comes to hurricanes or even just high winds is your roofing. Wind can often rip roof tiles away (turning them into dangerous projectiles) throw branches and debris onto flat roofing and even remove the entire top of your home as though it were opening a lid.

Hurricane restoration includes the full range of roof repair services to deal with all these issues. If you have tiles missing for instance, then these may need to be replaced. Likewise, if flat roofs have caved in, then hurricane restoration companies can go about fixing them and returning them to their correct shape.

Gutters

Gutters can be completely ripped away from the walls in a storm, or they can just become clogged with debris and start overflowing. In either case, this can actually lead to further problems. Blocked gutters, for instance, will cause water to run down the side of the building and collect around the bottom, which in turn can not only make the property cold but also cause mold to build up along with other issues. This is actually a common cause of basement leaks.

Hurricane restoration then will be able to clear out gutters and/or replace them entirely where necessary.

Garden and Landscaping

It’s not just your home itself that can be damaged by a hurricane – your garden is also likely to take a lot of the brunt. Here, trees can be overturned, fence panels can be ripped out and debris can be scattered everywhere. Hurricane restoration will also include services to address many of these issues and these companies will thus help you to clean and tidy your lawn, to replant trees, to reinstall fences and to fortify your garden against future problems. Fountains and garden furniture can even be fixed or replaced.

Cleaning

Another thing that often gets overlooked during a hurricane is just what a lot of mess it can make. Hurricanes will whip up the dirt, mud, soil, dust and compost heaps from all the surrounding areas and throw them against your walls and windows. Even if this causes no actual damage, it can leave your home water marked and badly soiled. Often then, hurricane restoration companies will wash down and repaint exterior walls, as well as simply picking up and dusting everything from around your premises.

Carpet Cleaning/Installation

If you have had a serious leak or collapse in your property as a result of hurricane damage, then you may need carpet cleaning. Hurricane restoration companies should be able to offer professional carpet cleaning and use wet vacuums to thoroughly clean the carpets leaving them as bright and vibrant as they were the day you first got them.

In other cases, carpeting may need to be completely replaced. This can happen for instance if a lot of contaminated water ends up on the carpet and gets absorbed by the carpet pads. In these cases, there will be no way to make the carpet clean enough and hygienic enough for continued use and as such it will need to be completely disposed of. Hurricane restoration might also involve installing new carpets in these cases.

Window Installation

In a hurricane, anything can become a projectile from a garden gnome to a roof tile. As such, broken windows are common and this can leave your property exposed and vulnerable.

Window installation also plays a big part in hurricane restoration then and will help to repair and reinstall your windows so that you’ll have no more dust and dirt blowing in.

Remodeling

With all the direct hurricane damage addressed and no more holes in the property, hurricane restoration companies will then begin repairing and restoring the items inside your home that will have been damaged by the elements, by wind and rain and by falling debris.

This means repainting walls, installing new wallpaper, adding new fittings and furniture and generally going about remodeling your rooms in just the same way as if you had ordered a new kitchen or bathroom.

Hurricane restoration companies should effectively offer all the services that you would normally get from a remodeling company or a renovations company and they may even provide these services separately. This way, you know they’ll be able to handle the repair of every item in your home from kitchen cabinets to counter tops to baths.

At the same time, these companies will then be able to install new fittings and items in your home to ensure it looks as good as new. In fact, if you take this as an opportunity to make some changes around your property, you can even upgrade your home as a result which will provide something of a silver lining.

How to Prevent Hurricane Damage

Hurricane restoration companies can do a lot to overturn the damage done to any property by a hurricane and to enable your family to return to normal life quickly. Ultimately, they provide a huge variety or restoration and remodeling services and handle the entire process so that your home goes from being unlivable to being as good as new or better.

But while hurricane restoration companies are good, it would, of course, be cheaper, easier and less stressful to avoid hurricane damage altogether. Obviously, you can’t control the weather but there are actually some things you can do to prevent hurricane damage.

For instance…

Maintain Your Roof

As mentioned, the roof is one of the most vulnerable parts of your home when it comes to wind damage and hurricane damage – and once the roof is damaged this can lead to exponential damage throughout the rest of your home.

For these reasons, it’s crucial to maintain your roof and to get it checked regularly by professionals. This means making sure there are no loose shingles, it means nailing down roof sheathing and it means making sure that the connection between the roof and walls is tight to prevent updrafts. Your roof maintenance company will take care of this for you – just make sure that you give them the opportunity.

Keep Trees Low

Growing large trees in your garden can be dramatic and create quite a visual statement, however, it also means giving the wind a weapon with which to cause serious damage to your home. If a huge tree is blown over in a storm, then this can end up crashing through your windows and walls and laying waste to your property. Instead, try to keep trees below a certain height and you’ll have less to worry about when the winds start picking up.

Think About Projectiles

Likewise, look around your garden and try to think of all the things that could potentially get turned into projectiles. Again, this means anything that isn’t nailed down and garden benches are common culprits. Position these in ways that will minimize the likelihood of them causing damage. Other potential threats include barbecues, tools, toys, ornaments and rocks.

Windows and Doors

You should also do your best to protect windows and doors. If you live in an area where there’s a very high probability of storms then getting permanent storm shutters can often be a good idea. Alternatively, if you know that a storm is coming, then temporary plywood covers are a good idea. You should also make sure that your windows are well insulated and double glazed; if you have old ‘rattly’ windows, then the vibration alone can be enough to cause them to shatter in some cases.

How to Prepare for Hurricane Damage

With the best will in the world, though, no home is impervious to a severe hurricane and sometimes hurricane restoration will inevitably be necessary.

There are a few things you can do to prepare for this eventuality. One is to make sure you have the number of a good hurricane restoration company in your phone that you can use when you need it.

Hurricane restoration companies can vary considerably in their quality and some may not offer 24/7 response services or might be unable to offer all the different services you need.

Some hurricane restoration companies, for instance, might not provide full remodeling work or they might not be able to help you remove items that you can no longer use. Other hurricane restoration companies might do all this but not to the standard you require. Thus, it’s important to read around and to find a good company with a good track record. This way, you can be sure you’ll get the best work for the best price and this will minimize your stress at a time when you will already be very stressed.

When you’re responding to a recent hurricane, however, you might not have time to find the right company. As such, it makes sense instead to do the research first and then to have the number to hand when you need emergency services.

Another useful way to prepare is to make sure that you have insurance that will cover your home for hurricane restoration as well as your belongings. This way, you will be able to get the hurricane restoration services without having to pay yourself (other than an excess) and you will be able to replace all the items in your home that are completely destroyed.

Hurricane damage is extensive, destructive and severe in many cases – and even when it is not it can still be expensive to repair. This is why it’s so important to find the right hurricane restoration company and to do everything you can to be prepared. A little preparation now can save you a huge amount of time, money and stress when it really counts.

If your commercial property or residence is in need of restoration, whether from storm damage, water damage, fire damage or mold, we will work to restore it to its former glory. We have helped many property owners, associations and homeowners renovate and repair their properties after a disaster has struck. You can count on us for prompt, efficient, and effective service. Call Secure Restoration today.