Handling Flood Damage Contamination in Yakima Homes

5/5/2024 (Permalink)

Cleaning up after a flood is a long and tedious process. Call SERVPRO for certified technicians and equipment to help tackle any disaster.

Containing and Disposing of Harmful Materials During Flood Restoration

Yakima city covers 27.69 square miles but is known for many things, including being an agricultural hub, wine industry, outdoor recreation, and cuisine center. At the Yakima Valley Museum, people explore Native America and pioneer history. The Yakima SunDome hosts the annual state fair and annual events. Local establishments such as Los Hernández Tamales and WaterFire Restaurant & Bar provide a unique opportunity to try different cuisines. Throughout the year, various events like Fresh Hop Ale Festival, Central Washington State Fair, and Yakima Folklife Festival provide a unique opportunity to experience the city's cultural diversity.

Flood damage at your Yakima home can trigger a severe contamination case, endangering people during the incident, cleanup phase, and post-incident. Proper handling is one simple thing that can limit the dangers flood contamination poses. SERVPRO® identifies the harmful substances left by floodwaters and uses appropriate PPE when entering the flooded property. 

Harmful materials left by flooding 

• Silt or mud 
• Water laced with biohazards and chemicals 
• Porous materials left soggy 

Floodwaters bring in the silt and mud you notice covering floors and items. If the flooding is not restricted to your neighborhood, the percentage of harmful chemicals and biohazards in the mud and silt deposits may be high. Sludge must be handled carefully. Our SERVPRO crews use rakes and heavy-duty gloves to facilitate safe removal.

The water that breaches your property not only reaches many unwanted areas but also contains dangerous products. Removing the water and dealing with the substances is the only way your property can regain its preloss state. Our SERVPRO crews take preemptive steps, such as spraying an EPA-registered disinfectant into the water before using vacuum extractors to remove it. 

Porous materials to remove  

• Drywall panels 
• Insulation 
• Flooring and subflooring 
• Exterior siding 

Removing structural materials requires controlled demolition to avoid unnecessary damage or destabilizing the structure. Our technicians have cutting, prying, and drilling tools to facilitate controlled demolition. 

SERVPRO of Yakima provides reliable flood damage restoration—call (509) 972-6707 for assistance.

Dealing with Fire Damage in Yakima Properties Requires Skills

5/7/2023 (Permalink)

Fire damage residues can linger long after the fire cleanup is done. Contact SERVPRO for effective remediation services. We are standing by 24/7.

SERVPRO Is Quick To Identify Yakima Fire Damage

A fire in your Yakima home can have a profound impact on the structural materials as well as the home’s contents. Sometimes fire damage may be apparent, but in others, it might be less obvious. Smoke residues can infiltrate structural materials, causing hidden damage and leaving long-term effects on the structure if not promptly addressed. For example, metal fittings and fixtures can deteriorate and corrode quickly because of the chemicals in the smoke.

With the help of restoration experts, you can repair any fire damage in your Yakima home and work on future fire prevention. Irrespective of the information you may have regarding fire restoration, it is unlikely to have the required experience to determine the safety of the property for reoccupation. SERVPRO remediation teams help confirm the safety of the house for entry. In addition, we check for any structural damage that might compromise the stability of your home. To properly assess and determine the remediation required for a property, we first analyze the type of residues the fire leaves.

Different types of residues created by smoke

• Dry smoke residues
• Wet smoke residues
• Protein smoke residues
• Fuel oil smoke residues

Characteristics of Smoke Residues

Wet smoke residues result from smoldering fires with low heat. The residues tend to be smeary and sticky with pungent odors. Dry smoke residues stem from a fast-burning fire at a high temperature. Residues are powdery, dry, non-smeary particles, and the smell is less pungent. Generally, the type of smoke residue present affects cleanability. For example, dry smoke residues do not stain surfaces deeply and require a less aggressive cleaning procedure like feather dusting and wiping with dry cleaning sponges.

Other factors to consider when cleaning after fire damage

• Type of surface
• Type of material
• The temperatures involved during combustion

If you have fire damage in your home, call SERVPRO of Yakima at (509) 972-6707. We’re Faster To Any Size Disaster.

We have Post-Storm Water Cleanup Help for Our Yakima Neighbors

2/5/2023 (Permalink)

Regardless of how the excess water entered your home, when you need cleanup SERVPRO can help. We are standing by 24/7.

Water Cleanup Can Deter Costly Secondary Damages

A thunder and lightning show can often help residents in Yakima sleep more soundly. However, the storm can also create a nightmare situation occasionally. If a recent storm made a mess, your home might benefit from water cleanup services from SERVPRO.

Our dedicated employees work together in teams to make water cleanup efficient for our Yakima neighbors. We ensure that subsequent work to restore your home takes place in an environment that is as safe as we can make it. We also ascertain the risks of electric shock, slip and fall, and trip hazards. We remove such risks wherever possible or place warning placards.

Because storms are unpredictable, the damage they can leave within your home can also surprise you. Along with cleaning up rainwater, we also often need to clean up additional debris, including:

• Roofing materials,
• A fallen tree and any limbs, and
• Nesting materials from nuisance pests.

Often, when a tree falls, it splinters the roof. The frame may come apart in some areas, necessitating us to remove it, followed by its rebuilding. Shingles and tar paper sections might find their way into your yard. These can contain nails or other sharp fasteners.

The tree also needs to be cut into manageable sections and taken elsewhere. While you can use this as firewood, we can remove the tree or any fallen limbs and dispose of everything if you wish.

Homeowners are often surprised and shocked to discover that nuisance animals have been living in upper crawlspaces or attic areas. While we might not see the actual animals, we often come across their nesting and bedding materials. Our IICRC-certified technicians remove these by contacting a third-party pest control company and apply antimicrobial sprays as a precaution after cleaning the area.

Once we remove the water and take care of the additional problems the stormy weather caused, we can rebuild the affected areas of your attic and roof. Call SERVPRO of Yakima at (509) 972-6707, and we'll make it "Like it never even happened."