Each year brings an average of 12 named storms, six hurricanes and three major hurricanes. You wonder what would happen if a hurricane were to hit your city. Would you be able to restore your belongings?
After a hurricane, water restoration companies work tirelessly to restore as many belongings as possible. For example, after Hurricane Katrina, FRSTeam by DKS Dry Cleaning Restoration cleaned and restored 26 pallets of stage drapes from New Orleans.
So, what determines if we can restore your possessions? Whether your belongings can be restored after a hurricane depends on two factors: the condition of the water and the condition of the items.
The Condition of the Water
In order to determine whether they can restore your belongings after a hurricane, a water restoration company must keep in mind the condition of the water that damaged them. According to the Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC), there are three categories of water.
- Category One Water: This type of water is clean and non-hazardous, although it can become contaminated when it mixes with other materials. It originates from burst pipes or rainwater.
- Category Two Water: This water category includes ground water that contains soil. During a hurricane, it could enter your home through your door or walls. This water has some contamination, which could make you sick.
- Category Three Water: This highly contaminated water can come from ground water, rivers and streams, and sewage systems. It could cause serious illness or even death.
Water from any of these categories can cause mold to grow on your belongings, which can cause serious health issues. However, category two and three water has the most detrimental effect on your belongings because it could leave disease-causing microorganisms behind. To prevent microorganism growth in your home, a water restoration company may remove and dispose of wall and flooring materials.
But what about your treasured belongings, like your favorite stuffed animal or your wedding dress? Fortunately, just because your possessions were exposed to category two or three water doesn’t necessarily mean we can’t restore them.
However, every case is different, and the possibility of restoration can depend on how long items were in water and how much or what type of water was involved. For instance, with carpet, it may not be savable after 48 hours of water exposure. Until your belongings are fully inspected, it can be difficult to determine whether we can restore them.
While evaluating your possessions after a hurricane, the specialists will look for microorganism growth and other signs of contaminated water. They will let you know whether they can clean and restore these items or whether you’ll need to replace them. If category three water caused the damage, they need to work extremely quickly to prevent further contamination.
The Condition of the Items
Along with knowing the condition of the water, restore specialists must also determine the condition of your items. Many people choose to restore items such as:
- Clothing
- Window coverings
- Bedding
- Purses
- Rugs
- Stuffed animals
- Toys
Restore specialists may not be able to restore your items if they notice color changes or color bleeding and fading, or if the item has shrunk in size. Keep in mind that an item may be too weak to survive the restoration process. There is also the chance that the item’s value is less than the cost of restoration.
If they can restore your belongings after a hurricane, the restoration company uses advanced chemical solvents to remove mold and toxins.
Evaluating Your Items
Evaluating your possessions after a hurricane is a difficult task conducted by a professional. At FRSTeam, we use an advanced inventory portal called FRSTrack. With FRSTrack, we create a visual catalogue of all your items. We use this catalogue to determine your items’ value as well as whether we can restore them. You can use this catalogue to submit a claim to your insurance company.
If your treasured belongings sustain water damage from a hurricane or from any other situation, you may be able to restore them. Call the experienced professionals at FRSTeam for advanced water restoration.