Test your sump pump– If you don’t have a sump pump, get one. They are vital to keeping your home healthy and dry. One of the main causes of basement floods is that there is some type of waterproofing failure or they don’t have a way to pump out excess water.

If you have an older pump you’ll want to test it out and make sure it is in good working order before any water makes its way into your home. You can test your pump by (first unplug any electrical cords) pouring 20 gallons of water into the container of the pump and then plug it back in.

Your pump should rapidly pump out the water. If it works like a champ everything is okay, however, if it starts to run slowly or the water is not being removed then you’ll need to replace the pump.

Inspect the discharge pipe on your sump pump– This is an ABS or a PVC pipe that is shaped vertically and attached to the sump pump. It will either discharge water to the sink in the laundry or through the exterior wall to the lawn. Inspect it while the pump is running. You should not see any debris or any leaks. Check the end of the pipe to make sure that it hasn’t been crushed and look for signs of wear and deterioration. If you see anything that doesn’t look right, go ahead and replace the pipe.

Water Damage in your basement–If your basement is prone to flooding and water damage you may want to consider installing a water proofing system. There are various different levels of protection, depending on when the house was built. When older homes were built, there were not many systems in place to deal with any excess water.

However, most new homes were built with an interior drainage system in addition to a “French drain.” If you have a newer home and you are still getting water damage than probably one of these systems isn’t working correctly.

Water damage restoration companies possess superior equipment to protect your home from several types of water damage. It makes sense to invest in a company that has the right equipment to protect your home.

Now is a great time to make sure that your basements and crawl spaces are free from excess moisture and all of your water proofing systems are installed and ready. When you have all of this under control, you will save yourself a lot of headaches for when the spring storms come.

You have already made a big investment in your home; let the burden of waterproofing and water damage restoration be handled by the experts.

At one time on Tuesday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) water-level gauge positioned at Calumet Harbor measured rise in water levels to up to 26 inches.

At Soldier Field, the WeatherBug sensor recorded maximum wind speeds of 60 mph. At Harrison-Dever crib, 3 miles away from the shore, similar wind speeds were recorded. Other remarkable wind gusts of 57 mph were reported from the Whitney Young High School in the city. The top wind speeds at Lowell and Gary IN were 55 mph. The wind gusts of 53 mph at Blue Island, 52 mph at Oak Lawn and 51 mph at East Chicago, Hinsdale and Lombard were also recorded. The peak wind speeds clocked 48 mph at Midway and 46 mph at O’Hare.

November’s maximum daily wind speeds this year have clocked over 40 mph on five occasions, making November of 2011 the windiest one in the last six years. Officials stated that Tuesday’s 46 mph wind speed makes it the fifth day this November when the speeds topped 40 mph in the region.

The average wind speed for this month up to Tuesday was at 11.6 mph, which is more than the average of the whole November month of 10 mph recorded since 1998. This year’s November recorded the highest average wind speed in the last 13 years.

Rainfall of more than 2 inches was recorded on Tuesday throughout the regions of eastern and downstate Indiana. Pouring rains transformed into heavy snow by Tuesday afternoon. The snowfall continued through Tuesday evening. The howling winds and decreasing visibility made it very difficult for motorists to commute during the maelstrom.

Many vehicles were trapped or finished up in ditches. The heavy and wet snow along with strong winds brought down trees and power lines across southwest through northeast regions of Indiana and Michigan.

Constant rain drenched the Livingston County, Michigan on Tuesday. According to Matt Mosteiko, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service at Whit Lake Township, 2 to 4 inches of snow accumulation is expected during the night over the Livingston County. Many reports of downed power lines were received from all over the county.

From the dawn on Monday, thousands of people came to the streets to clear up the wreckage that had been caused by rising waters. One of the government authorities in charging of the clearing up the uprooted trees and submerged power lines said that the process could take more than three weeks. There is still threat looming about an unpredictable, yet imminent flooding that may cause problem to the nation’s infrastructure.

There are many opinions about the estimated cost that will be borne in rebuilding the infrastructure. At this point in time, the Consumer Federation of America cited that they estimated more than $5 billion in personal insurance claims from wind damage and another $2 billion for flood damage. The total cost of the loss can be higher than $7 billion because there has been sheer economic loss due to shut businesses, paralyzed transportation and goods that have been sitting at one place without any distribution mechanism. A video posted on Facebook showed how a 141 year old bridge in Rockingham crumbled and was swept away by the raging Williams River.

There have been cases of 25 reported deaths across the states that were affected. Most deaths were reported in the areas of Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania due to trees crashing into homes and cars. There was a case of one woman drowning in New Jersey after her car came under flood attack. In New York and Connecticut, two people died due to fire attack caused by drowned wires.

Though train serves to New Jersey and Long Island have been restored to some extent, the train service in the northern suburbs may open in some time soon. Thousands of passengers were stranded as the flights were cancelled over the weekend.

Airports in New York and around the Northeast were reopening to a backlog of hundreds of thousands of passengers whose flights were cancelled over the weekend. Irene, a major hurricane with winds swifter than 110 miles per hour was downgraded to a tropical storm with a speed of 65 miles per hour when it reached New York. It weakened and the speed came down to 50 miles per hour, when it reached Canada.

The disaster assessment firm, Kinetic Analysis Corp, first estimated the total damages to be $20 billion but then downgraded their assessment when they saw that the hurricane had begun to progressively weaken. The most expensive hurricane in the history of US has been Katrina in 2005 which caused tremendous damage to New Orleans and the losses amount to a whopping $100 billion.

Always follow the rules and regulations listed by state and local authorities while cleaning up your basement after a sewage backup. Most regions allow disposal of padding, carpeting and other things in a land fill near your locality, but you are required to dispose of sewage in a sanitary sewer. Expecting and nursing women, babies or little kids, older people and anybody suffering from severe health conditions should not be in the basement or home that is affected by sewage backup. The affected basement should be contained by setting up a plastic vapor barrier along with HEPA air cleaning systems.

Here are some steps that you can take to remove the sewage from your basement.

1. Use submersible pumps to pump out the standing water from your basement.
2. Use vacuum system that comes with a filtration device to extract sewage from the flooring or other items.
3. Remove all the items both contaminated and undamaged from your basement. Dispose of items that cannot be salvaged.
4. Take out all the flooded carpeting, vinyl flooring, wood flooring and others, and dispose them properly. The contaminated water and sewage will seep underneath your flooring and therefore, so it has to be removed not just cleaned.
5. After removing all the items and materials you can now start cleaning the structural things such as the wood framework, concrete floors and other stems. Use antimicrobial disinfectants to clean all the areas of your basement. After cleaning the areas thoroughly, clean them once again so that they are absolutely cleaned.
6. After getting rid of all the standing water and sewage, it’s time to dry out your basement completely. Use air movers and dehumidifiers to dry off all the exposed surfaces. Leaving the structure wet is not recommended as it may result in mold growth. Time for drying your basement depends on the amount of flooding as well as on the type and number of drying equipment employed. The normal drying time is three to four days for most surfaces and materials. However, concrete floors may take 4 to 15 days to dry out completely.
7. Use deodorizing agents to get rid of bad smell.

Once all the areas and surfaces of your basement are dry, you can begin reconstruction. You should hire the services of a professional company if you want to avoid the hassles of cleaning up your basement after a sewage backup.

Record high water levels are poised to be smashed in some areas as the river threatens flood-prone areas of Memphis on down through the Mississippi Delta and into Louisiana’s farm country. By Tuesday, the river is expected to rise to 48 feet in Memphis. The police department in the city has ordered thousands of residents out of their homes and other types of residential facilities. The waters are also threatening three nuclear reactors which are expected to be shut down as a precaution.

The Mississippi was reaching crest stage Sunday in the Memphis area and the National Weather Service put the entire Shelby County under a flood warning. Those people living inside the flood plain should be packed up and ready to leave if they haven’t left already. Things will be getting worse through the rest of the week as many neighborhoods in Memphis could flood due to water rising through storm drains. The National Weather Service reported Sunday that the river is set to crest late Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning. The service is also saying that the river may very well remain above flood stage in Memphis into the month of June.

Rains falling on Saturday made people in Memphis more nervous and the new rainfall was enough to send many packing and calling the city bus for a way out. The new rain was not expected to add to the flood levels but this fact still didn’t stop people from leaving. The Memphis bus service has reported that it is receiving a high level of calls as reality is setting in for many residents of the city.

The US Congress has made protecting towns and cities on the lower Mississippi a priority since the Great Flood of 1927 that killed hundreds of people. Over $13 billion has been spent by the Army Corps of Engineers toward the building of flood walls and over-flow ponds. Over four million people live in a total of 63 counties along the Mississippi from Cairo, Illinois south to the Gulf of Mexico.

In cases wherein mold damage is beyond repair and mold growth has become serious, the best solution is to leave the problem in the hands of the experts. Getting a mold removal service from companies specializing in the field may mean an additional expense so it is only right to choose a reliable and trusted mold removal company that is guaranteed to address serious mold damage in your home in order to get your money’s worth.

How can you find a good mold removal company? What are some tips to follow when searching for one?

Licensed or Certified Mold Removal Contractor

Due to many issues about scam mold removal companies that simply use fake and ineffective products, many states now require licensure or certification from mold removal contractors before they can provide professional cleaning and removal service. A few examples of certifications for mold removal contractors are Certified Mold Remediator (CMR), Certified Mold Inspector (CMI), and Certified Environmental Hygienist (CEH). In the process of scouting for a mold removal expert, you can ask for these requirements from them or check with the state department for a more reliable answer.

Type of Mold Removal Service

Many mold removal companies provide services on both inspection and remediation. A professional mold removal expert should ask if you only wish to obtain one of the services or want to have both. You might end up paying through the nose for not realizing that you had both services charged when you only wanted mold removal and not the inspection service. Some companies do not charge for mold inspection so make sure to widen your research.

Quality of Mold Removal Service

One sure way to guarantee that a mold removal company provides quality service is through its reputation. Part of your extensive research in getting a good company should be getting tips and recommendations from people who have tried the same thing, making phone call inquiries to several companies, and checking for any feedback and reviews on the internet. You can also check with the Better Business Bureau for any record of complaints filed against a company.

You want to make sure that you only hire the best and most trusted mold removal company to provide professional help in your mold problems at home. Follow the tips mentioned above and you will surely make the right choice.

There were numerous roof collapses being reported in Chicago as well as fires which claimed several lives. Frozen pipes burst all over the Atlanta metropolitan area, causing utility workers to stay on duty for two to three shifts in a row as they responded to desperate calls from homeowners in that city.

If you live in a part of the United States that is prone to winter weather you should do all you can to ensure that you home and family makes it through to spring unscathed. If you have not done so yet, have your furnace inspected and cleaned. This should have been done in the fall but you could still have it checked now to be sure that everything is working like it should. If you do use space heaters, use them only when you are in the room. Be sure not to place space heaters near anything flammable such as curtains and bedding.

It is also very important to check your smoke alarms. Put in fresh batteries and if you find even one alarm not working properly, replace it immediately. During heavy snowfalls, see to it that all of your home’s exit doors are cleared. If a fire were to break out in your home and snow is blocking the exits you and your family’s lives are put into jeopardy. Do not use candles unless attended to and never leave a fireplace or wood-burning stove going if you are not at home.

If you have not done so yet, go outside and detach your garden hose from the spigot fastened to your home. If you fail to do so and there is water in the hose (which there usually is) the water will freeze and cause pressure which could lead to ruptured pipes inside your house. Allow faucets in your home to drip slightly during freezing cold temperatures as this helps to prevent pipe freeze-ups. Show everyone living in your home where the main water shut-off value is. If your pipes burst or your hot water heater fails, you certainly want to shut the water off quickly before your home has the chance to flood.

1- One thing you can do to avoid unthawed pipelines is to stop water flowing to the pipes. To do that you only need to shut the stopcock and any other water valves on the outside. This way the outside pipes will not be filled up with water when the temperature goes below zero and you will avoid pipe freezing. Make sure that you know where the stopcock is in case a pipeline burst and you need to stop water flowing in your house.

2- You know that the walls and roof of your house are insulated to keep the warmth in the house and the cold out of the house. Nowadays, there are fantastic insulating materials that you can use to protect your pipelines. If you want to protect the pipes that are inside your house, you can use electric heating tape to wrap around the pipes. On the exterior pipes, it is a good idea to use fibreglass insulating material.

3- If you have a furnace at home, a wise thing to do is to set it to more than forty degrees. No matter if you are not at home, if your house is warm, pipelines will not get frozen that easily. And if you are at home, you will be warm and at the same time you will prevent unthawed pipes.

4- If some of the pipelines got frozen, something you can do is heat water and slowly pour it over the pipes. This will keep the frost away and will make the pipes return to their normal state. You need to be extremely careful when doing this because if you pour the water too fast, the pipeline might burst and you need to call a professional to solve the problem, if you do it too slowly or the water is not hot enough, the pipeline will not defrost.

5- If you tried all the previous tips and your pipelines still burst, do not worry because your insurance might provide you with temporary accommodation until the problem is solved. One important thing to do is leave at least one window open to help water dry out and avoid having mould.

Fire departments across the nation say that the big issues firefighters see when it gets cold have to do with portable heaters and extension cords. If you plan on pulling out a portable heater yourself, be sure that you check to see that it is compatible with the extension cord you plan to use. Also be sure not to plug too many heaters into one extension cord. The space heater’s cord should be inspected to be sure no wires are exposed and that none of the insulation is broken. It is recommended to leave three feet of space between a portable heater and anything that could catch on fire such as curtains or bedding.

Before you start a fire in the fireplace, be sure to have your flue checked and cleaned. It is never a bad idea to call in a chimney sweeping service to do a thorough cleaning of the chimney before using the fireplace. You should use firewood that has dried completely and be sure to keep the fireplace screen closed while the fire is burning. Popping embers have started many fires inside homes as they easily can catch carpeting on fire.

Take the time to change your furnace filter and invest about $40 in a high quality carbon monoxide alarm. These detectors are designed to go off when they detect the colorless and odorless deadly gas that can come from a faulty furnace. Speaking of furnaces, if yours is acting strangely like shutting off and then back on, have it checked immediately because this is a sign that something is wrong.

One way to ensure that your house does not go up in flames is to have your furnace inspected by a professional once a year. Have the service provider change the filter as he is checking for worn parts and cleaning the mechanisms that could start a fire. You actually should change the filter at least twice a year because dirty filters can cause your furnace to overheat and possibly catch ablaze. Spending the money it takes to keep your furnace running well is well worth it as you cannot put a price on safety in the home.

The occurrence of sewage disaster poses destructive outcomes to properties and the building materials including its contents. If the sewage overflow is only within the household, indoor materials and items can still be affected. If the sewage-flooding contamination is widespread in the city, commercial properties in the building environment are greatly affected.

Those buildings and households, which are prone to sewage flooding must make necessary renovations in a way that will keep instances of flooding from penetrating indoors. However, water can sometimes be uncontrollable especially if the natural catastrophe is pretty harsh.

Instances of Sewage Overflow Indoors

Here are three possible situations of sewage spilling that can occur indoors and the restoration procedures of each situation:

1. A very small amount of sewage waste is deposited onto the sewage system, so the water is contained and does not largely infiltrate the indoors. A typical kitchen sink backflow is a good example for this situation wherein wastewater contamination is only confined within the sink and does not affect absorbent materials within the structure. In this case, the cleanup process would basically involve water removal and disinfection to decontaminate the affected area.

1. Waste from the building environment is drained out beyond the confines of the building’s sewage system. This kind of situation can cause limited flooding, but wastewater can still penetrate certain parts of the building structure and the furnishing areas. Water may go through complex areas inside the building such as the regions of the structure, which makes it difficult to remediate. Decontamination and drying are the two necessary steps in this situation. Disinfection of contaminated porous materials such as the building walls should be done. Some materials may need to be assessed before trying to clean them up.

1. Sewage waste from the building is deposited along with other wastes from the main sewer lines. The extent of overflow and sewage backup is pretty high, and the level of water penetration inside the building structure is widespread. This situation presents a high risk on human health due to the pathogenic raw sewage infiltrating indoors. This is possible to happen during heavy floods and storm surges when floodwater flows into the sewage system and causes a sewage disaster to properties and buildings. Before conducting restoration and remediation, the building occupants and the people inside must be cautioned to stay away from the areas of contamination. Since this sewage problem is extensive, the cleanup is best left to professionals who know better how to conduct complete restoration.

Any problem with the sewage system in a property, whether minor or major, should immediately be acted upon in order to minimize the adverse effects on the building materials and contents.