The Christmas Flood

Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house not a creature was stirring not even a mouse.

Your out-of-town guests will arrive in the morning, clean sheets and towels are a must, so the last load of laundry you’re doing.

Stuffing the washer with a smile on your face, soon your home will become a cheerful place.

Off to bed you go with a glass of water for your thirst, when all of a sudden your washing machine hose bursts!

As tired as you are from doing your chores, you hear nothing, not a sound, not even a roar.

In the morning you wake and jump out of bed, but the carpet’s not dry, it’s soggy instead!

Oh no! What happened? What do I do?

Believe it or not, this scenario is not uncommon.  We understand.  That is what we do.  After the panic subsides and the head clears, this homeowner probably called their insurance carrier and reported the flood.  As a preferred insurance contractor, we are given the contact information for this homeowner and the basics of what happened.  Immediately after receiving this information, one of our Team Coordinators contacts the homeowner.  This person has just experienced their own personal catastrophe, a “worst nightmare” if you will.  Our Staff is here to calm the homeowner and assure them that we can help.  The best part is we mean it!

Our Emergency Services Technicians and Plumbers work 24/7/365.  They are truly the “Knights in Shining Armor!”  As soon as they arrive at the property, the homeowner lights up.  We are here to help.  All of our Techs and Plumbers are highly trained and are the best at what they do.  Immediately, they begin by surveying the situation, possibly doing a Leak Detection to determine where the source of the leak is located.  Time is always of the essence in a situation like this.  The water has been standing on the tile and carpet since the night before.  The drywall is quick to soak up the water like a sponge.  At this point, the homeowner is elated we are there, but has no idea what is going to happen next.

The leak will be repaired and the standing water will be extracted.  The carpet will be pulled up and, depending on the age of the house, the drywall and tile will be tested for asbestos.  Since this house was built before 1985, the drywall and tile cannot be cut into or pulled up until a test is done.  Fans and dehumidifiers will be set to start the drying process.  If the test results come back negative for asbestos, our Techs can begin the demolition.  All of the contents in the affected rooms must be moved to another location.  Then, the baseboards will be pulled and the drywall cut up the wall to just past the water line.  The fans and dehumidifiers will continue to blow.

This cheerful place will now begin to take on a gloomy feel.  The house guests will now be greeted with a tearful eye, while our technicians continue to perform their work.  The homeowner is now extremely overwhelmed and wants it all to be over.    A complete dryout usually takes 3 days.  That is 3 days with fans blowing and your house literally torn apart.  An Estimator will make his way to the property to discuss putting it back together again.  At this point the homeowner just wants this nightmare to end.  In a nut shell, we are no longer welcome.  Each and every person who works for this company is extremely professional and empathetic.  With great understanding our Estimators try and comfort the homeowner by assuring them that this will all be over soon.

The carpet will need to be replaced and so will the tile.  A relief for some of our customers is meeting with our Interiors Manager to select new carpet and tile.  She is ray of light with a very warm and caring smile.  The homeowner now feels a bit better about the situation.  The light is at the end of the tunnel.

One of our Project Managers will contact the homeowner to have the house put back together.  This will require more people working to replace drywall, texture and paint.  This can be messy as dust flies around.  We do our best to contain the situation, but it is difficult at times.  Frustration has set in with the homeowner.  “Why is this taking so long?”  “When will it be done?”  The carpet won’t be here for 5 more days.  “The paint color seems darker.”  “The dust is everywhere.”  “The cement beneath my feet is getting old.”  Our Coordinators and Project Managers check in with the homeowner on a regular basis to make sure everything is ok.  We strive for perfect “10” service, anything less is not an option.  We do whatever we can to comfort the homeowner and keep their spirits up.

Finally, the house is put together and we have had it professionally cleaned.  Now, life can resume for the homeowner.  Behind the scenes our team is working with the Insurance Carrier to handle all the finances, diligently trying to keep the homeowner protected from any more stress.  We, again, are the “Knights in Shining Armor”.

I felt the best way for me to explain what we do and why we merit consideration for this award was to take you through the life of a loss.  As you can see, emotions are running wild.  In some cases, people are displaced from their residence for extended periods of time.  These homeowners and insurance carriers trust us to do the right thing.  Ethically, we stand very strong.  Honesty, integrity and outstanding workmanship are the backbone of our company.  Our biggest concern is to get these problems fixed and the homeowners’ life back to normal.  Yes, we are a business and our goal is to make a profit.  However, we will never accept a job for less money and then do it half way, nor will we inflate a job to make extra money.  We utilize industry standard pricing and keep the best interest of all parties in the forefront. Many customers become lifelong friends with our staff.  We were there when they needed us and we will be there in the future.