“Storm” in West Michigan

2/4/2020 (Permalink)

When the restoration industry thinks "Storm", it usually means tropical storms or hurricanes in the Gulf or the Southeast. When these major events happen, SERVPROs from all over the country pack up and head to the impacted area to help make it "Like it never even happened.” This is one of the advantages of being the world's largest disaster restoration company. No matter how large the event, SERVPRO can cover it.

Luckily Michigan does not usually get these life threatening and expensive storms.

In Michigan, “Storm” means tornadoes, straight line winds, and/or micro bursts of rain. Last summer Manistee and Mason counties were hit with over 12 inches of rain in one 24 hour period---a new state record. While it is nice to hold a state record, it wasn't nearly that much fun when you watched your basement or cabin fill with water. Our shop in Manistee received over 100 calls for help per day over the last weekend of July.

With 3 truck mounted extractors and multiple crews we were able to help many of the residents. However, we soon realized that we would not be able to help all the customers in a timely manner. We reached for the phone and called our sister franchises in Traverse City, Mount Pleasant/Clare, Big Rapids, Muskegon, and Grand Rapids. Most immediately sent trucks and crews and by Sunday morning there were multiple green trucks helping people in every affected city in our territory. These crews stayed throughout the week until all our customers were taken of and had their homes back.

Another storm event that recently hit our coverage area was the tornado that hit Mason and Lake Counties. This EF2 tornado and the associated straight line winds centered in Baldwin, toppled thousands of trees and destroyed countless roofs. While SERVPRO does not do roof repairs or tree removal from roofs, we do have a long list of professionals who can help. When the calls started coming in, we were able to bypass the normal waiting lists and get people in contact with crews who could quickly get the trees off the roofs and driveways opened.

Once the trees are off the roofs, SERVPRO of Manistee, Ludington, and Cadillac can get the roofs tarped and windows boarded up and start the drying process. Unfortunately, lack of power is usually an issue and can delay drying. If the home sustains structural damage from the wind or trees, sometimes we will need to pack out the contents to one of our climate controlled storage units while repairs are made. These repairs and content removal and storage are almost always covered by normal homeowners insurance. While “Storm” events are never fun, SERVPRO of Manistee, Ludington, and Cadillac can help you get your home back to "Like it never even happened."