SERVPRO Urges Bedford Property Owners to Focus on Disaster Readiness as Spring Approaches: Property damage remediation specialist says the importance of advance planning grows as severe weather and climate events become more frequent

Since Fall 2022, the United States has experienced extreme weather from coast to coast ranging from major rain and flood events to hurricanes and tornadoes to extreme freezing conditions including a "once in a generation blizzard." As catastrophic weather events impact property owners more frequently, it magnifies the need for disaster readiness ahead of this spring's storm season.

The National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), reports that from 1980-2022, there were, on average, 7.9 "billion-dollar" events each year. In 2021, there were 20 "billion-dollar" weather or climate disaster events, and 2022 delivered another 18 - each year more than doubling the previous multi-year average.

"These statistics are revealing," says Ryan Wolfe of SERVPRO® of Lawrence, Owen, Greene & Martin Cos., "but not surprising to businesses like SERVPRO who specialize in disaster response and remediation. SERVPRO franchise owners experience the real-life impact of events like these as home and business owners reach out for help after flooding, fire, wind, and other natural disasters wreak havoc on their properties. That's why we continue to emphasize the importance of preparing in advance before disaster strikes."

Because spring weather can be particularly unpredictable, Wolfe urges property owners in the Bedford area to take advantage of state, federal and other online resources now to prepare for a possible severe weather event. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) offers tips here for preparing an emergency kit to have on hand. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) offers an emergency preparedness checklist here, and more ideas and tools are available from sources like the Red Cross, the AARP, and others.

According to Rick Isaacson, CEO of Servpro Industries, LLC, the number of calls for help and web traffic to servpro.com increased more than 300% after the most recent winter storm event in late December 2022 over the same period last year (12/22/22 - 12/28/22).

"Advance preparation might have helped some of these property owners literally weather the storm with less damage," said Isaacson. "And for those whose homes or businesses were severely damaged or destroyed in spite of efforts to avoid damage, advance preparation would mean that critical papers, contact numbers, insurance information, and recovery plans would be close at hand. Time spent improving your disaster readiness is time well spent."

SERVPRO specializes in disaster cleaning, restoration, and construction services, helping to remediate damage, making it "Like it never even happened," for both commercial and residential customers. For more information on SERVPRO of Lawrence, Owen, Greene & Martin Cos., please contact Ryan Wolfe at (812) 275-2244 or [email protected]. For more information about SERVPRO, please visit www.servpro.com.