Superior Restoration

Last year we all saw what tropical storm Irene did to our state. Close to a million people were without power for over a week in the tail-end of summer. However while most people thought about the downed trees the victims began to realize other things were going wrong. Without electricity those normal household comforts that we take for granted stopped working. Air conditioners, microwaves, stoves, freezers, and the fridge all stopped. Food rotted, the smell got worse, and many times it was too late to save any of it by the time they got a generator IF they could find one.

Another problem people seemed to forget was that sump pumps require electricity. Without it, basements that were flooded stayed flooded for some time. We saw a lot of devastation last year. Water, mold, severe odor issues— many times it made us gag from the smell.

What we completely recommend is having a permanent generator installed that operates off oil or natural gas that automatically kicks on when the power fails. This way you can still cook, your food stays fresh, and you have access to vital supplies like a flushing toilet (if you’re like me and have a well you know what I’m talking about). Many of these generators can power an entire floor or more, and are well worth the investment.

If you can’t afford a permanent generator, at least invest in a gasoline powered one that can run at least your refrigerator and freezer. Food starts to spoil within hours of it not being cooled, so the window to save your food is very small. This is not a “wait a couple of days” issue. By then your home will smell worse than a pig farm. Literally.

If you don’t have access to generators find a friend who still has power, and may have room for you to store at least some of your frozen goods like meat. When preparing for the storm try to buy things that don’t require being chilled. The old “lets go by all the milk eggs and bread we can find!” is not exactly sound. Canned foods, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and bottled water. Remember you can’t run your dish washer either so make sure to get things that could don’t have to dirty ten pans to make.

Electricity rules our lives, it’s a fact. When the power goes out we run the risk of losing more than what the storm may have taken. The aftermath can be just as costly as the intial impact.

Thankfully we can handle these kinds of problems. Odors, flooding, sewage, mold— we know how to bring a home back from the brink of despair. Keep our name in mind should the worse happen, we’ll be here to help you.

For the second entry of the day, we’re still on thunderstorms. The first entry if you have not seen it is in regards to Lightning, but right now we are going to debunk some thunderstorm myths that we feel can endanger a person or home from not understanding.

“It’s okay to take a bath, just don’t have the water running” Okay who ever thought this was a smart idea probably did get electrocuted. It does not matter in the least if the water is running or not, the pipes and faucets are metal and guess what? Metal + Water + Electricity = you might not wake up. Never come in contact with water when there is a storm. Just because you are inside does not mean your safe, this would be like hearing thunder and running into a lake with a giant metal rod attached to your back like a shark fin. Really? Just no.

“Lightning can’t hurt your home, it grounds itself and there’s no damage” Wrong. That’s a lot of power and it has the potential to surge the power in your home and is very likely to ruin the electrical system and appliances in your home. Surge protectors are meant to control surges of power that are man-made, not lightning. Unplug computers entirely and Televisions from the wall, that’s about the only way to keep them safe.

“If you’re in a car and run over a downed power line you’re safe. I mean your tires are rubber.” And this is why we’re doing this. No, no you’re not safe and dozens of people die every year as a result of this myth. Your tires are rubber, but the body is metal. You’ll fry in your seat. If you see downed lines never drive over them, report them to the proper authorities and go another way. Never risk driving over them.

“Severe Thunderstorms are nothing. Really they don’t do damage.” Apparently you also haven’t lived in New England for long because I’m fairly certain we are all aware that these storms come with heavy rain and strong winds. They can be just as frightening as a tornado and can do more personal harm since most of us just brush them off. Do yourself a favor, take weather seriously and give yourself the benefit of the doubt.

The reason we are going over this is that soon thunderstorms will be much more frequent, and each year we see people get seriously hurt by these storms not out of bad luck but out of stupidity. We feel it a mission and duty to educate and help prevent these accidents. Yes, we love being able to do our jobs and clean up after a disaster, but we also feel strongly for the act of prevention.

If you have any questions, or myths about thunderstorms you would like resolved leave a question in our ask box and we’ll get back to you within 24 hours. Keep safe everyone.