Water Damage Restoration - What's In a Name - Part I

Part I - One of the 'little things' that makes our industry and our jobs intriguing is that our customers are individual homeowners, so we have come across thousands of different first names, last names, and combinations of names. Of course, we all know some of the most common last names. Over the length of more than a decade having assisted thousands of people, these are Champion's most common customer names: Anderson 23 times, Moore 31 times, Brown 33 times, Jones 38 times, Williams 48 times (did you know that one was common?), Johnson 50 times, and the winner is Smith 70 times.

Greg Ahlstrom

Georgia Severe Weather Awareness Week 2010

Georgia Severe Weather Awareness Week
February 1 - 5, 2010

Severe weather is no stranger to North and Central Georgia. (Click Here to view the North and Central Georgia Severe Weather Climatology.) Severe Weather Awareness Week is designed to provide information about the types of severe weather that affect Georgia, and what to do in the event that severe weather occurs.

Topics to be covered include:

Monday - NOAA Weather Radio

Tuesday - Thunderstorm Safety

Wednesday - Tornado Safety

Thursday - Lightning Safety

Friday - Flooding

Source: www.noaa.gov

A LETTER FROM A HAPPY CUSTOMER

We recently received this letter from a very happy client.  She and her three young girls were at home when a fire started.  Needless to say she was under a lot of stress when Champion arrived to handle the repairs.  Fortunately, we were able to have her home repaired and her family moved back in their home in less than seven months.  She was very happy with the level of service she received and this is what she had to say:

To Whom It May Concern:

My “normal family life was changed by a fire that almost devoured our home on January 19, 2009.  I had no real way of knowing the far reaching effects of losing my home and the displacement of what I took for granted was our way of life for my three girls and me. On that night we were horrified as the fire engulfed our home and there was nothing we could to stop it. It was a wonderful blessing that the four of us were not injured in the fire.

I had no way of knowing what to do next. I am happy that I purchased USAA homeowner insurance. I went to the house wearing the pain from the fire in my soul the day following the fire.

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How Do I Know If I Have Hail Damage?

I can’t tell you how many times over the past few months I’ve heard that question. With recent strong thunderstorms and associated hail, our area has certainly received more than its fair share of damage, as evidenced by all of the vehicles parading around the streets advertising first one roofer then another. Many of such roofing contractors are referred to in the industry as “storm chasers”. Hail storms are closely followed by their swarm of vehicles, eagerly anticipating a quick surge of easy money. After the initial rush of activity, they disappear as quickly as they came… on to the next affected area. They leave behind them a plethora of customers who have no one to turn to when warranty issues arise. The responsibility, and the financial cost, are then up to the homeowners themselves. I’ve see this happen time and again to families in our coverage area. Alas, I digress. Back to our original question.

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Georgia Winter Weather Awareness Week November 16th - 20th, 2009

Winter storms are considered “deceptive killers” because most deaths are indirectly related to the storm. Seventy percent of fatalities related to ice and snow occur in automobiles, and approximately twenty-five percent of all winter-related fatalities are people caught off-guard in the storm. Prolonged exposure to extreme cold can cause frostbite or hypothermia. Powerful winter storms can also have thunderstorms associated with them. These storms can dump as much as three inches of snow or one inch of ice in an hour.  So how can you prepare for winter weather?

- Monitor radio/TV or NOAA Weather Radio.

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10 Ways to Conserve Water this Summer

1. Operate dishwashers only when they are fully loaded. Use the "light wash" feature, if available, to use less water.

2. Clean vegetables in a pan filled with water rather than running water from the tap.

3. Avoid wasting water waiting for it to get hot. Capture it for other uses such as plant watering.

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Practice Water Conservation

Last week the Georgia Environmental Protection Division announced the new non-drought water usage guidelines. They are as follow: Residents with odd-numbers addresses or no-numbers addresses water on Monday's, Wednesdays and Sundays.  There is no watering on Fridays.  For Coweta County residents, easing up the water resriction is great, more like "old time".  We can go back to watering our gardens and lawns. Our children can go back to playing with the sprinklers and slippery slides.  While the easing of restriction is great, lets not forget the years of drought conditions that we all lived with.  As a community, hopefully we have learned from previous experiences.  Lets continue to build on ways to conserve water in our homes and businesses for our future and our children's.

Pam Brown - Marketing Representative

To Packout or Not to Packout? That is the question.

Hello again from the contents department!

When I am scoping a new fire loss I have several tools with me to help asses the situation. These include: a digital camera(VERY important!), latex nitrile gloves, dust masks, caution tape, clean rags, high alkaline cleaner, and LATEX SPONGES!!

The sponges are in caps because they too are very important! They are made of a special blend of materials and have a great ability to pick up soot from all sorts of surfaces. This is the main factor I use in answering today's question.

If for example I am responding to a kitchen fire and find myself in the room farthest from the source of the fire and I am getting soot readings! It looks like a packout because there is a good chance that all items between me and the source are also going to be in need of remediation (or cleaning).

However, if it was a bedroom fire for example and I am only getting soot readings in the immediate area. I will establish a cleaning station in  an unaffected area of the home and look to utilize the garage or perhaps a truck or delivered storage container to de-odorize any affected items.

The high alkaline cleaner is useful in determining if an item or a surface will indeed clean or if it may need to be considered a total loss.

Thanks for reading and please let me know if there are any questions or suggestions you might have for me!! And, HAPPY PACKING!!

Peter Kanavas - Contents Department Manager

How to Prevent Water Damage

In 2007, 22% of all homeowner’s insurance losses in the United States were caused by water damage.  Just a few steps could help you prevent a water damage from happening.

1. Know where your water shutoff valve is located.  Be sure that the entire family knows how to shut off household water supplies in the event of a sudden pipe or hose break.


2. Let faucets drip during extremely cold weather. This keeps the water moving and helps to reduce the chance of freezing.


3. Never leave the house with appliances, such as dishwashers, washers or dyers, still operating.


4. Turn off the water while you’re out of town. Many homeowners have returned from vacation to find their washer hoses have burst and flooded their homes.


5. Inspect your plumbing every year. You should inspect your water pipes and fittings annually. This is a simple check that takes only a few minutes but could prevent thousands of dollars in water damage.


6. Inspect your water heater, washer, dishwasher, sinks, toilets and refrigerator ice maker for evidence of water leaks and repair immediately.


7. Use the exhaust fan in the bathroom while the shower is on. This helps to remove steam from the room.


8. Check your hoses and replace them if they indicate wear.  Consider replacing hoses to your washer and dishwasher every two to five years.


9. Repair window and door cracks with caulk. This helps to prevent water from seeping into the house from outside.


10. Clean out gutters and down spouts regularly. This helps prevent overflowing, which may damage your roof.

I've never had a claim...how does my insurance claim get paid?

The whole insurance claim process can be confusing.  Its true that your insurance company approves the scope of the repairs and provides the claim funds.  But your contractor (not the insurance company) is responsible for performing satisfactory repairs, and you the homeowner (not the insurance company) are ultimately responsible to make sure that your contractor gets paid.

A common question people have is 'what do I do with my deductible?'  Your insurance company will 'deduct' your insurance deductible from the total claim funds that they pay.  If you have a total claim of $10,000.00 and your deductible is $1,000.00, your insurance company will pay $9,000.00 and your $1,000.00 deductible is to be paid by you directly to your contractor. 

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