Prepare for Tornado Season

Tornado season is officially here! It hasn't started out with a bang like last year, but it's still very important to plan ahead to protect your homes and families.

Here are some facts about storms...

They may occur singly, in clusters, or in lines.

Some of the most severe occur when a single thunderstorm affects one location for an extended time.

Thunderstorms typically produce heavy rain for a brief period, anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour.

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Three Things You Need To Do Before Flood Season

FLOOD FACTS:

Floods and flash floods happen in all 50 states.

Just an inch of water can cause costly damage to your property.

Your home has a 26% chance of being damaged by a flood during the course of a 30-year mortgage in a high-risk area, compared to a 9% chance of fire.

New land development can increase flood risk, especially if the construction changes natural runoff paths.

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Georgia Flood Awareness Week March 15-19, 2010

Floods are the most common and widespread of all natural disasters with the exception of fire. Many people do not realize that flooding kills more people than any other weather hazard. The majority of deaths occur when people are trapped in automobiles that stall while attempting to drive through flooded areas. Most communities in Georgia experience some kind of flooding after spring rains or thunderstorms. Dam failures are potentially the worst flood events because when a dam fails, a massive quantity of water is suddenly released downstream, destroying anything in its path. Another concern is flash flooding. Flash floods usually result from intense storms dropping large amounts of rain within a brief period. They occur with little or no warning and can reach full peak in only a few minutes. Areas most prone to floods are ones with streams and rivers, urban areas and low-lying areas.

As always, the Champion team is committed to doing everything in our power to continue to provide outstanding service to our clients during this year's storm season. If you have any questions please feel free to call our office at 770-253-6070. We also have collected an abundance of valuable resources available on our Information Center at www.championcsi.com.

Flood Trivia

1. How much rapidly moving water can knock a person down?
A. 3 inches
B. 6 inches
C. 12 inches

The answer is B. It only takes 6 inches of fast-moving water to bring you down.

2. Tropical Storm Alberto in 1994 dropped how many inches of rain on Americus, Georgia in a span of 24 hours causing rivers to burst their banks and flood the area?
A. 21 inches
B. 32 inches
C. 44 inches

The answer is A. 21 inches

3. How high was the wall of water that hit Shadyside, Ohio, in a flash flood on June 14, 1990?
A. 10-15 feet
B. 15-20 feet
C. 25-30 feet

The answer is B. 15-20 feet. After thunderstorms drenched Southeastern Ohio that day, three tributaries of the Ohio River flooded and sent a wall of water into Shadyside, killing 26 people.

4. This "Great" flood occurred in 1993 and caused a very well known river to flood and cause massive damage in the Midwest. What is the name of this river?
A. Snake River
B. Chattahoochee River
C. Mississippi River

The answer is C. The Mississippi River. This flood is one of the worst of all time. The Mississippi River broke through many dikes and walls after months of rain. The floodwaters stayed in some streets for 2 months or more.

5. What's a muddy flood?
A. a flood caused by runoff on farmland
B. a flood caused by a landslide
C. a flood with a lot of mud in it

The answer is A. Muddy floods happen when heavy storms on cropland cause a great deal of runoff. They've increased in some areas because of new home construction and the planting of erosion-sensitive crops.

6. In 1976 the Teton Dam failed and caused the loss of 14 lives with the flood it caused. What state was this doomed dam built in?
A. Wyoming
B. Idaho
C. Utah

The answer is B. The dam was located in Idaho and the dam was doomed when seepage started to wear away the bottom of it. The dam was never rebuilt.

7. Which of these can cause floods?
A. Heavy rain
B. Snow melt
C. Ice jams
D. All of the above

The answer is D. Most floods are caused by heavy rain but some of the worst floods ever have been caused by rapid snow melt. Ice jams can cause major flooding problems also.

8. What caused the famous 1889 flood in Johnstown, Pennsylvania?
A. Sudden ice melt in the Allegheny Mountains
B. Hurricane Clara
C. Broken dam

The answer is C. On May 31, 1889, after days of torrential rain, the South Fork Dam burst near Johnstown, sending the waters of Lake Conemaugh roaring downhill. The flash flood killed more than 2,000 people in a matter of minutes.

9. What should you do if a flash flood is approaching you?
A. Climb to higher ground any way you can
B. Run as fast as you can
C. Go limp and let the flood waters carry you

The answer is A. You should  climb to higher ground out of the path of the flood.

10. What percentage of the city of New Orleans was flooded after Hurricane Katrina in 2005?
A. 30 percent
B. 50 percent
C. 80 percent

The answer is C. Because of the failure of the city's levee system, 80 percent of New Orleans flooded.

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

Part II - Yesterday in 'What's In a Name' we explored the most common customer last names that Champion has had the privilege to work for over the last decade, and SMITH took the prize. On the flip side, our customers communicate with a number of Champion employees throughout their project, and keeping all of us straight can no doubt be a challenge especially considering we have a Gary, a Jerry, a Larry, a Mary, and a Jeremy. Not to mention an M. Brown and M. Smith.

Greg Ahlstrom - Accounting Manager

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

Be Prepared in 2010!

2010 is approaching rapidly and FEMA's Ready Campaign is encouranging people to make it their goal to be ready in 2010.

Below are some very useful links from Ready.gov that will help you to prepare your family for whatever 2010 brings.

RESOLVE TO BE READY TOOLKIT:

http://www.ready.gov/america/_downloads/resolve10/resolve2010_tool_kit.pdf 

RESOLVE TO BE READY MICROSOFT POWERPOINT PRESENTATION:

http://www.ready.gov/america/_downloads/resolve10/ready_508comp.ppt

Champion is Fast and Committed When It Comes to Flooding

Flooding can happen almost anywhere it rains. In fact, floods are the most common natural disaster in the U.S. We at Champion have been committed to serving the Atlanta area since 1970 as a trusted restoration company in the industry. We understand water damage is an emergency, this is why technicians are dispatched within minutes to the loss. The property's successful restoration depends largely on receiving immediate response, and the fastest drying possible. Champion has crews on-call 24/7, 365 a days. Our combination of an immediate response and leading edge technology returns the damage property back to normal faster than the traditional drying methods. It also substantially lowers the repair cost and time. After nearly 40 years of water removal, we are committed to the same outstanding service!

Pamela Brown - Marketing Representative

Wintertime Trivia

1. How big was the largest snowflake ever recorded?
A. 5 inches in diameter
B. 8 inches in diameter
C. 15 inches in diameter
D. 21 inches in diameter

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