What to Do When Thunderstorms or Flooding Affects the Avon Area

4/14/2023 (Permalink)

North Central Ohio’s indecisive weather can often bring major water damage into your residential or commercial property. There are often a few different weather-related risks to be wary of that could cause serious damage to your home or business.

Thunderstorms

Thunderstorms can occur anywhere at any time of the day, however they are most likely to happen in the afternoon during the spring and summer months. These storms are created by cumulonimbus clouds, and can produce extreme winds, lightning, and hail. Lightning can be very dangerous as well; in fact, more people are killed by lightning every year than they are by tornadoes.

When a thunderstorm is predicted in your area, there are some precautions you can take:

• If you can hear the thunder produced by the storm from your residence or business, you are close enough to be in danger from lightning.
• Keep an eye out for storm signs such as quickly darkening skies, flashes of lightning, or increasing winds.
• Postpone any outdoor activities, and avoid driving in storm conditions.
• Find shelter immediately, in the basement of your residence or business if possible, closing all windows and doors securely.
• If you are driving when the storm hits, pull over and take shelter in your car immediately.
• Refrain from bathing, showering, using plumbing, or swimming during storm conditions.
• Ensure that storm drains near your property are kept unobstructed.
• Keep trees around your property trimmed; a severe thunderstorm might cause any straggling branches to break and damage your residence or business.  

Flooding

As the seasons change, heavy spring rains can overwhelm rivers and streams and cause flooding. When water rises rapidly along a stream or low-lying area, catastrophic flash flooding may occur. It is good to be prepared and have a solid evacuation plan for your family or employees when a flood or flash flood warning is issued.

Some basic flood safety steps include:

• Avoid flood waters at all cost. Just six inches of rapidly moving water can sweep you off of your feet.
• If you encounter a flooded road while driving, turn the car around and go another way. Most cars can be swept away by less than two feet of moving water.
• Gather your family or employees, some emergency supplies, and any important belongings and evacuate to higher ground as soon as possible.
• Store your most important items such as photo albums, family heirlooms, and business documents in tightly-sealed plastic containers to ensure that they are well protected from floodwaters. As well consider storing valuables in the attic rather than the basement.

The key when it comes to thunderstorms and floods is to make sure that you have a safety plan in place. Ensure that your family members or employees know to take shelter in the basement during a thunderstorm or to retreat to the highest level of your property during a flood. It is advisable to keep a supply of food, water, flashlights and batteries, and a first aid kit in the case of any emergency.

SERVPRO of Northern Lorain County is dedicated to taking quality care of restoring your home or business after the inclement weather, so that the health and safety of your family and employees can be your main concern when a flood or thunderstorm hits.

SERVPRO is Faster To Any Storm Disaster When It Comes to Avon, Ohio Homes.

The worst part of a major storm is typically not the storm itself, but the ensuing days after it. If your home is unlucky enough to be impacted by flood damage in South Richland County, it can take weeks to dry out after the storm on its own, and even longer for you to restore the damage without professional help. This is the problem SERVPRO sets out to solve. We cut restoration times to the shortest intervals possible while maintaining effective and thorough treatment solutions, meaning our services are unprecedentedly timely and comprehensive. 

Storms can cause a host of flood damage problems in North Richland and Ashland County, with entire blocks at a time sometimes becoming inundated with water during the worst storms. SERVPRO is always ready after major disasters to help, with a large stock of equipment and machines to best help residents in need. We offer full water removal solutions, including water extraction, assisted drying with air movers, and dehumidifiers. Once water has been cleared from the property, we can then begin work on restorations, applying our professional techniques and training to help save as many materials and belongings as possible from the costly tallies of full replacement. Restoring damaged materials almost always carries a lower cost than replacing them, so we evaluate each item separately to determine an appropriate treatment solution for it. 

We also have the resources to deal with other types of damage simultaneously. Many homes suffer from fire, mold, and other types of damage in tandem with flooding, but our well-rounded portfolio of certifications and training techniques allow us to combat these with ease. Our service helps to ensure that other types of damage do not gain the upper hand in your home or go undetected.

Locally Owned Company with National Resources

SERVPRO of Northern Lorain County is a locally-owned franchise of a national company that provides professional water and flood damage removal and restoration services. Call us 24/7 at (440) 597-4406.