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Water Mitigation vs. Restoration: Key Differences and Why Both Matter
From burst pipes to severe weather, water damage is a serious threat that can cause extensive property damage and long-term health risks such as mold growth.
According to the National Fire Protection Association, in 2013, a home fire was reported every 85 seconds, and a civilian fire injury was reported every 33 minutes.
Just like solving a crime, the first 48 hours after flooding occurs in your home are critical. Seeping water damage is progressive, pervasive and can mean valuable objects may become permanently damaged – especially if emergency response is delayed beyond the first 48 hours.
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Ready to dive into our comprehensive data set to see how your city stacks up against the rest? We created this sortable data table to help you make informed investment and adaptation decisions for the future.
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Closing Thoughts
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Understanding U.S. cities' risks is crucial in making informed decisions and preparing for the future. As the impact of climate change is felt nationwide, it's essential to stay informed, prioritize safety measures, and support policies that protect our communities.
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When natural disasters, like floods and fires, strike, they can leave property owners frustrated and with a sense of urgency to get back up and running as soon as possible. At Rainbow Restoration, we’re here to ease some of that burden with a full suite of residential and commercial restoration services to help you get your business and property back on track so you can breathe easily.
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Methodology
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To find the most at-risk cities for property damage, we started with a list of the 100 most populated cities in the U.S. and ranked them from 1 to 100 based on flood, fire, heat, and wind risk factors from RiskFactor.com.
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We then assigned weights to each factor depending on how much they could affect property owners. Based on the weights, each city we analyzed was given a score out of 100. Using projections from RiskFactor.com, we were also able to find the cities that could see the most significant increases in property damage from flood and fire over the next 30 years.
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Preparing a fire emergency kit is crucial for safety during unexpected disasters. Rainbow Restoration recommends:
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Assemble essentials like water, non-perishable food, and first aid supplies.
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Include important documents, flashlights, and extra batteries.
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Store medications and personal hygiene items.
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Keep the kit in an accessible location for quick evacuation.
Having an emergency kit will help your family prepare for all types of disasters, and it can especially help when an evacuation is in order or someone gets injured. There are a number of supplies that should be kept on hand and stored in an easy-to-carry container. The kit should be placed in the same easily accessible spot in your home all the time so all members of the family know where it is located.
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In the case of quick evacuation, you should have a kit loaded with enough food, water, and supplies for your family. Although local officials will be on the scene shortly after, there may not be immediate attention given to everyone involved in the situation. Your kit will also come in handy in the event that basic utilities are out of use for any period of time.
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A fire emergency requires everyone to escape very quickly, so the kit cannot be too heavy or full to find quickly and carry easily. For a full list of supplies your fire emergency kit should contain, visit www.ready.gov.
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Maintaining Your Emergency Fire Kit
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It’s important to make sure any food you have stored has not gone bad, and to replace it if it has. Anything that would be rendered useless in the event of an emergency should be removed and replaced as soon as possible.
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Making sure your kit is updated a ready to go in the case of an emergency is necessary. You should also take your family’s current needs into consideration if they have changed in the last year.
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How to Prepare Outside of an Emergency Kit
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Another essential part of fire emergency preparedness is having a plan. Besides knowing where the emergency kit is, all members of the family should also know the evacuation plan.
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Do a Walk-Through
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Grab your family and walk through your home to locate all possible exits and escape routes. Everyone should know where these are to be able to find the best route out of the house during an emergency. Families with children should consider creating a map of the house that marks two ways out of each room.
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Choose an Outside Meeting Place
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Determine a location outside of the home where everyone can meet up after exiting the home. Make sure to mark this place on the escape plan.
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If a fire disaster strikes, you can rely on the rapid, professional restoration services from the experts at Rainbow Restoration®. For more than 30 years, the experts at Rainbow Restoration have provided commercial and residential fire restoration services that revive hope, safety, and confidence. Rainbow Restoration restores, so you can recover and get back to your life.
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Rainbow Restoration emphasizes the importance of a comprehensive flood preparedness plan for businesses to minimize damage and ensure continuity. Key steps include:
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Assessing flood risks and vulnerabilities specific to your location
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Developing an emergency response plan and communication strategy
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Protecting critical assets and backing up essential data
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Training employees on safety procedures and evacuation routes
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Natural and man-made floods are the top two most common disasters experienced across the U.S. In the past five years, every state has experienced natural flood-related disasters such as coastal, river or flash flooding, and 20% of all insurance claims are accountable to floods of man-made origin (plumbing and appliance leaks, sewage backups). Despite the prevalence of floods, most businesses remain unprepared. Statistics show, of businesses closing in response to a disaster, a staggering one-in-four never re-open. Flood plans, like your fire evacuation preparedness plan, are key not only to mitigating the very real property and health risks of common flood-related disaster, but key to your future success.
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Business Have Unique Flood Preparedness Needs
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A flood emergency preparedness plan will be quite different for a construction zone than an office building or industrial facility. Each site and industry suffers unique risks. Industry-specific resources are essential to planning success, as is staff training. A well-informed staff can prevent confusion and added risks to employees and property in the event of disaster.
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The Most Basic Flood Evacuation Plan Should Include:
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The capacity for quick response. With personnel in-charge of monitoring man-made possibilities, and an NOAA Weather Radio or other news resource for natural events.
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A basic disaster supply kit. This includes emergency and medical supplies, as well as enough food and water to last at least 72 hours. Preparedness training at work should likewise instruct employees on preparing their own mobile kit, for preparation to shelter-in-place for 24 hours in the event of emergency. Ready.gov offers a printable and online list.
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Plan development and training. All employees should know what to do in an emergency, including disaster-specific evacuation and emergency response procedures. Assign specific employees (and backup personnel) to key tasks, such as emergency shut-down of equipment and power sources, and performing a roll-call. Exercises and drills to cement skills and uncover potential issues should be regularly performed, and flood and other emergency action plans reviewed and updated regularly. Clearly post and provide employees with paper copies of plans.
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Emergency contact information. Ensure all employees have a list of key telephone numbers. Blank business cards sheets from the local office supply are a convenient, easy way to provide a wallet-size list.
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Additional guidance. This is not an all-inclusive list, and the importance of the need for industry-specific measures cannot be stressed enough. OSHA, Ready.gov, the CDC and IBHS are great resources.
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Flood Danger Does Not End When Waters Recede
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Post-flood cleanup is hazardous. Cleanup crews are at enhanced risk of injury and illness due to exposure to debris hazards and contaminated water. With water, mold and bacteria proliferation increase with each hour left unaddressed. Quick remediation, proper safety gear and on-site sanitary and medical provisions are essential to treating clean-up related injury.
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Do you have a trusted water damage and mold remediation professional as part of your flood plan? The experts at Rainbow Restoration® can help you get back up and running fast. Contact us today.
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A running toilet can waste water and increase utility bills. Rainbow Restoration highlights some common fixes.
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Check and adjust the flapper for proper sealing.
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Inspect the fill valve for wear or misalignment.
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Ensure the float is set at the correct water level.
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Replace faulty components as needed.
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You’ve probably heard this king of corny jokes: “Is your refrigerator running? You’d better go catch it!” However, what about your toilet running? This is no joke! Luckily, there are some relatively simple fixes you can do yourself. Check out these DIY instructions for addressing some of the more common causes of a running toilet.
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Flapper
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Your toilet’s flapper, or its flush valve seal, is the rubber piece that plugs the drain hole on the bottom of your toilet tank and holds back tank water for the next time you flush. Defective flappers are a very common cause of a running toilet. Over time, flappers deteriorate, allowing for water to pass through. They can also break, warp or get dirty
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If you decide you need to replace your flapper, this is an easy running toilet fix! Flappers are inexpensive and will pop right on the flapper chain. When purchasing a new flapper, be sure it attaches to the chain at the center of the flapper and not the outer edge. This way, you’ll prevent unwanted warping.
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Flapper Chain
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The chain connected to your flapper is crucial in preventing your toilet from running incessantly. A tangled chain won’t allow your toilet’s flapper to close and water will continue to run into the bowl. A chain that’s too long or too short won’t work either. If the chain is too long, it will interfere with the flapper closing, causing it to constantly run. In addition, your flush will not be very strong
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Ideally, your chain should have about an inch of slack – more than an inch and your chain will tangle. To achieve this, you may cut the chain, move the clip down to reduce its length, or purchase a new chain altogether. Some chains come with floaters, and if yours does, ensure it’s not pulling up on the flapper by moving the float up the chain so it sits comfortably on the tank water surface.
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Float
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The float is the plastic balloon that tells your toilet when the tank is full. Your toilet has one of two types of floats: a ball float or a cup float. If your float is set too high, water levels will rise above the overflow pipe and the tank won’t stop running.
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If you have a ball float, simply bend the arm down so it sits lower. For cup floats, slide the float down the central tube.
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If you experience a flood, be sure to contact the professionals at Rainbow Restoration for immediate water remediation.
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Rainbow Restoration emphasizes the importance of swift action during flooding emergencies. Key steps include:
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Immediate response to minimize water damage and mold growth
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Safety precautions for occupants and property
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Professional water extraction and drying
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Thorough cleaning and restoration to pre-loss condition
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Ongoing support throughout the recovery process
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Just like solving a crime, the first 48 hours after flooding occurs in your home are critical. Seeping water damage is progressive, pervasive and can mean valuable objects may become permanently damaged – especially if emergency response is delayed beyond the first 48 hours. You have a very short window to avoid permanent damage like mold, dry wall rot and complete loss of personal property.
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Here is a breakdown of the process that occurs in your home once it has been saturated with water and the steps you can take to save your home.
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What Is the Water Doing to Your Home?
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The first few hours flood waters are left in your home can cause cosmetic damages like stained carpets or furniture; but can also lead to more serious issues like appliance and electrical issues.
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In the next 12 to 24 hours your home is at a much higher risk for serious and permanent damage. Stagnate water is a breeding ground for bacteria, and leads to serious health issues. Flood water is categorized into three categories based on the flood source:\n
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Category One: Water is from a clean water source and will not cause illness immediately but should still be treated promptly.
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Category Two: Water that is can cause illness from contact because it has bacteria in it; category one can develop into category two.
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Category Three: Water from a sewer or backed up pipe that is contaminated and can cause severe illness.
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The final 24 hours in the 48-hour window are vital in the fight against mold. This is a very small window and without action, mold will reproduce rapidly and create an inhabitable environment.
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To prevent the lasting effects of mold you will need to contact a professional and have the property fully dry within the first 48 hours. Not taking these measures can lead to threatening mold, drywall deterioration, appliance loss, carpet/floor damage as well as numerous other health and safety concerns.
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What Can You Do?
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The shock and aftermath of destruction storms, like Hurricane Harvey, can be overwhelming. As soon as the water penetrates your home, it's important to call in professionals, like Rainbow Restoration, to mitigate your home. With quick, efficient emergency professional services that are on call 24-hours a day, they can provide caring service and quality work to forgo permanent water damage to your home or business.
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To help meet all of your home service needs, check out Neighborly. Once on the site, click on \"Join the Community\" to find providers to service all your home needs.
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Expert Water Damage Restoration
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If you've been impacted by Hurricane Harvey, Rainbow Restoration is here to help. Our certified service professionals will provide expertise combined with caring and compassion. Rainbow's skill in water restoration and rapid structural drying and cleaning will help set your mind at ease. Our service professionals are fully certified by the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification.
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Rainbow Restoration provides 24/7 rapid response to ensure your home or business gets back on track, so you can move on. Even as Harvey weakens into a tropical storm, it will still bring flooding and related damage to a significant portion of Texas and emergency disaster recovery will be a priority. Call or schedule an appointment online for professional water damage restoration services.
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Tsunamis are powerful natural disasters that require swift action to ensure safety. Rainbow Restoration outlines some key steps to prepare for and respond to tsunamis.
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Understand tsunami warning signs and evacuation routes.
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Create an emergency kit and family communication plan.
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Follow official alerts and evacuate immediately if advised.
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The destructive power of tsunamis is enormous. The 2004 tsunami in the Indian Ocean was among the deadliest natural disasters on record, killing over 230,000 people in 14 countries. Are you at risk of, and prepared for a tsunami?
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More than a large wave…
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Tsunamis don’t resemble normal, breaking sea waves, but a rising tide or large wall of water. Tsunamis are generally part of a series of waves, arriving in a “wave train,” ranging from 10 minutes to 2 hours to even days apart. Sixty to 300 miles wide, the waves can travel at speeds of 500-600 mph and reach heights of 32 feet or more. A sobering concept when you consider a mere two inches of water can knock you over and two feet of water can carry away most cars.
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What can cause a tsunami?
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Earthquakes
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Undersea volcanic eruptions
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Underwater landslides
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Calving icebergs/glaciers
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Underwater explosions
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Meteorite impacts
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Other disturbances on the surface of the ocean
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How common are tsunamis? Is my area at risk?
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Historically, major tsunamis happen once per decade, however, the incidence of tsunamis varies widely by the coastline.
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Pacific Ocean – 59% Most tsunamis occur in the Pacific because the ocean basin is rimmed by the Ring of Fire, a long chain of the Earth's most seismically active spots. The Pacific coastline from northern California to British Columbia is at risk from both offshore earthquakes originating from the Cascadian subduction zone, as well as distant earthquakes from across the Pacific. If a tsunami arose resulting from a Cascadian zone quake, it could arrive on shore in as little as 12-20 minutes.
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Mediterranean Sea – 25% Disastrous tsunamis take place in the Mediterranean on average once every century due to earthquakes caused by the shifting of the African and Eurasian plates.
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Atlantic Ocean – 12% Scientists still don't have a good picture of exactly how plates and fault lines are structured beneath the East Coast, however, no major faults or plates exist there, making chances of tsunami there low, but not impossible.
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Indian Ocean – 4% Though tsunamis are less common in the Indian Ocean compared to other seas, this 4% incidence in light of the events of the deadly 2004 tsunami serves as a sobering reminder that statistics aren’t everything - and it is better to be prepared than caught off-guard.
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Warning signs of a tsunami:
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Though tsunamis cannot be predicted, forecasting possible tsunami hazards is possible with the help of seismic and sea level data, as well as computer modeling following seismic activity. Natural warning signs of a tsunami include:
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Shaking of the ground preceding the tsunami’s arrival, which may be due to the tsunami itself, or an earthquake.
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A loud roaring sound, similar to a train or jet.
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A sudden rise or fall in sea level as the tsunami approaches the shore. Receding water may expose the ocean floor, reefs, and fish.
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How can I prepare for a tsunami emergency?
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Be prepared, not worried. Learn about tsunami evacuation routes and shelters before you visit at-risk areas, such as the beach.
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Take heed of the natural warning signs listed above, and act accordingly.
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Observe official warnings. Remember there will be multiple waves, minutes to days apart, so playing it safe is advisable.
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Don’t rely on roads for evacuation. Earthquakes may render them inaccessible. Be prepared to flee on foot and take shelter if necessary.
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What to do in the event of a tsunami:
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In the event of a warning, avoid at-risk or low-lying areas.
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If you don’t get a warning, once the shaking stops, do not wait for an instruction to flee. Move to higher ground immediately. Save yourself, not your belongings. Though distant tsunamis generally allow people enough time to evacuate to higher ground, you may have only minutes before the tsunami strikes.
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If you do not have time to evacuate, seek out shelter on the upper floors of high, multi-story, reinforced concrete buildings, such as hotels.
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If you have no other options, climb a tall, sturdy tree.
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If you get caught in tsunami waters, find something to use as a raft to prevent fatigue, blows from debris, and drowning.
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Do not return to the affected area, or low-lying areas, until the “all clear” has been given. Danger can last for hours to days following the initial wave in the wave train.
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