Responding to Storm Events

10/13/2020 (Permalink)

SERVPRO of Vacaville/Fairfield/Dixon has been busy responding to various storm events such as this derecho in Iowa and the LNU Fire in Vacaville.

Residents in Solano and Yolo Counties have a distinct advantage when it comes to Restoration Services because there is a local SERVPRO franchise that services these counties. SERVPRO of Vacaville/Fairfield/Dixon has been providing water, fire and mold restoration services to both residential and commercial customers in these counties for several years.  This year, the company has added quite a bit of biohazard remediation work specifically including cleaning for the COVID-19 virus. 

 As we head into fall and the winter months of the year, naturally our attention turns to the weather and the damage it can cause to our homes and residences.  But foul weather isn’t something that is reserved only for the wintertime.  In fact, storm events can happen any time of the year throughout different parts of our Country.  Whether it be windstorms in the mid-west or flooding along the coast of Florida, there is no telling when Mother Nature will wield her mighty powers and damage can occur in a blink of an eye.  In some areas, there are warnings, as with tornadoes or hurricanes, but in others, as is the case of earthquakes that commonly occur along the fault lines that run throughout the state of California, they are swift and without warning and leave behind devastating results. 

In the restoration industry, these devastating events are labeled as “Storm Events” and for SERVPRO, there is a specific and coordinated response that is set immediately into place to service the individuals who are affected in the areas where damage has occurred.  So while SERVPRO of Vacaville/Fairfield/Dixon’s first priority is the residents within the communities we immediately serve, we are also part of a broader and coordinated effort of 1,700 franchises across the country that make up an elite Disaster Recovery Team.  Just like your local SERVPRO, our Disaster Recovery Team is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to respond to your emergency.  And our professions are prepared for the unpredictable.  Although most of our work involves fire or water restoration, SERVPRO Storm Teams have responded to tornadoes, hurricanes, blizzards and floods.  On a National Level, SERVPRO crews have aided customers in the following events: 2017 California wildfires, 2017 Hurricane Irma, 2017 Hurricane Harvey, 2016 Hurricane Matthew, 2015 Carolina floods, 2014 Polar Vortex, 2012 Hurricane Sandy, 2010 Nashville floods, 2008 Hurricane Ike, 2007 Chicago floods, 2007 Ohio floods, 2007 California Wildfires and 2005 Hurricane Katrina.

 In 2020, SERVPRO of Vacaville/Fairfield/Dixon has aided in two Storm events so far this year, along with a local catastrophe.  On August 10, 2020 a derecho caused widespread high winds and an outbreak of low-class tornadoes in the Midwest.  A derecho is classified as a band of storms that have winds of at least 30 miles per hour along the entire span of the storm front, maintained over a time span of at least six hours.  Although a derecho can produce destruction similar to the strength of a tornado, the damage typically is directed in one direction along a relatively straight line.  The derecho that hit Iowa had gusts of wind that were recorded at 126 miles per hour that lasted 14 hours!  It traveled 770 miles from South Dakota to western Ohio and strengthened as it moved through Iowa without a great deal of advanced warning for residents there.  The hardest hit and most notably-affected area was Cedar Rapids, Iowa and the surrounding region.  Quite obviously, it left destruction in its wake, with trees being hurled through homes and buildings destroyed.  With it came catastrophic rainfall and power being cut off to 400,000 people.  Once the wind and rain subsided, this left homeowners with the arduous task of ridding their homes of rainwater that had been flooding in through gaping holes in their roofs and walls.  As is common in that part of the country, many homes had basements that were now flooded with rainwater and needed to be pumped out.  A call was put out by our National Response Team for franchises who were willing to travel to Iowa to assist the residents who had been through this devastating event and SERVPRO of Vacaville/Fairfield/Dixon immediately stepped up to the plate to volunteer.  Within a few days of the event, a crew was assembled and on the road to Iowa to help the residents there.  While they made their way by car, our coordinators here made personal contact with customers in Iowa and set up appointments, gathered information and assured those residents that help was on the way.  Our team was committed to staying until the job was done and those customers were served.  But Mother Nature wasn’t done just yet, because just a few days into our Iowa Storm response, tragedy struck again but this time in our own backyard.  

On August 19, 2020 the LNU Lightning Complex fire which started several days before in the Lake Berryessa area, quickly merged with smaller fires in the area due to high winds and dry conditions and charged towards our community of Vacaville in the middle of the night.  Some residents were given only 20 minutes to evacuate and lost everything; others were able to stay and fight the fires.  Ultimately, 154 homes were burned and our community will be forever changed.  Given the extenuating circumstances, we immediately brought our crews home from Iowa and began helping the residents whose homes survived but sustained fire and smoke damage.  We were contacted by a total of 110 fire victims who asked for our help with estimates and cleaning.  Although it pains us all to see the devastation in our own community, we are so thankful for how few individuals suffered personal loss of life in such a devastating event.

As we are still servicing our Vacaville community, the Glass Fire stretched into the Santa Rosa community and the SERVPRO Storm Response Team requested our assistance, and SERVPRO of Vacaville/Fairfield/Dixon answered the call again.  We are currently assisting many residents in the Santa Rosa, Calistoga, St. Helena and Napa communities with their fire restoration needs and will continue to do so as long as the need exists. 

SERVPRO of Vacaville/Fairfield/Dixon…helping our own communities and helping those who need us wherever the need arises.  Call us anytime at (707) 724-8977.  We’re Here to Help.