Do I Need a Special Kind of Disaster Recovery Company to Help Me with Flooding Affecting My Upper West Side Apartment?

10/10/2021 (Permalink)

SERVPRO storm and flood damage restoration are in line with all health regulations. Call now for fast and immediate service.

Your Local SERVPRO Adapts to Meet Your Needs Where You Live -- When You Reach Out for Flood Damage Assistance on the Upper West Side, We Will Be Ready

Single-family homes are not the norm on the Upper West Side, so reputable flooding recovery firms must invest in training and equipment that deliver results in densely populated, multi-family, multi-story home buildings. The research-based theories and best practices taught by the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) apply to damage in a high-rise. Still, the approach must consider the challenges of removing water and drying out the property when there are equipment accessibility hurdles.

I Live Many Stories Above the Street -- What Kind of Flood Damage Will I Reasonably Have?

You might feel impervious to flood damage on the Upper West Side, but you will feel the flooding effects even if it does not flow directly inside your apartment or condo. Many systems that provide heating, cooling, plumbing, and transport (elevators) base their operations in the lower levels of your multi-level building. If contaminated water interferes with these systems' workings, you and your neighbors experience immediate cessation of electricity and climate controls. Elevators cannot run without electricity, so you are either stuck in your unit or forced to use stairways that can have flooding issues of their own the closer you get to the bottom.

What About My Storage Areas? Will They Flood?

Suppose you use assigned rooms or containers in the lower levels of your apartment, condo, or brownstone. In that case, unfortunately, the chances are excellent that your belongings will absorb floodwater in the Upper West Side. One of the benefits of hiring SERVPRO to manage that crisis is our ability to pack out items and evaluate and restore them away from the confusion caused by many other residents dealing with similar issues. We use a system that provides a digitized record of the items we pack out -- the Contents Claim Inventory Service (CCIS). We track articles through:

• Written lists
• Digital photos
• Barcoding

The records are saved to a digital file and permit our specially trained contents technicians to document the process from assessment through mitigation and remediation interventions, arriving finally at either an acceptable return to function and appearance or a decision to discard an item because of intractable damage. Our documentation helps when you seek coverage from your insurance company. Restoration interventions found at our production facility include:

• Industrial wash and drying systems for textiles and soft items
• Freeze-drying technology for papers and photos
• Immersion and ultrasonic tanks to loosen grime and pathogens carried by the floodwaters and now coating loose items
• Small drying chambers for electronics and furnishings where we can monitor and manipulate air movement, temperature, and humidity
• EPA-registered cleaning and disinfection products 
• Deodorization products and innovative equipment that can eliminate persistent odors 
• Ozone machines
• Fogging machines
• Hydroxyl generators

What If Exterior Storm Damage Makes Its Way Inside, Even Many Stories Above the Street?

Broken windows and poorly configured or damaged drainage systems can offload torrential rains into your living space. Leaks around windows and exterior doors leading to balconies or decks can cause significant damage even if the glass remains intact. How can we help with this challenge?

• A project manager arrives to assess for any safety issues
• We are on the lookout for water in ceiling or wall cavities which can cause structural collapse
• If found, we use controlled demolition techniques like punching weep holes or cutting holes into or taking sections of walls out to access trapped water
• If you live on the first three floors, truck-mounted extractors can remove water
• Higher elevations require our technicians to use one or many portable (backpack) extractors to remove fluids
• One of our highly trained technicians uses detection and metering devices to trace the perimeter of the water incursion and test materials for water absorption levels.
• The moisture measurements inform our drying goals
• Air movers and dehumidifiers facilitate the evaporation of moisture from building materials and into the air, where we capture it for disposal

Flood damage in your apartment or condominium building affects your life in ways you might not expect. The scenario is tricky to mitigate and remediate, but SERVPRO of Upper West Side has the skilled technicians and equipment to get it managed quickly and successfully. Give us a call at (917) 498-1362 to discover what we can do to help you during this difficult time.