Storm Facts and SERVPRO Services

10/21/2016 (Permalink)

Storm Basics

A thunderstorm is a rain shower during which you hear thunder. Since thunder comes from lightning, all thunderstorms have lightning.

A thunderstorm is classified as "severe" when it contains one or more of the following:

• Hail (one inch or greater)
• Winds in excess of 58 mph
• Structural wind damage
• Tornado

Tornado Facts

Tornadoes are arguably nature's most violent storms. Generated from powerful thunderstorms, tornadoes generally appear as rotating, funnel-shaped clouds extending from the cloud base to the ground. With winds that can reach up to 300 miles per hour, tornadoes can cause massive destruction within seconds. Damage paths can be in excess of one mile wide and fifty miles long.

• The average tornado moves southwest to northeast, but tornadoes have been known to move in any direction.
• The average forward speed of a tornado is 30 miles per hour, but may vary from stationary to 70 miles per hour.
• Tornadoes can accompany tropical storms and hurricanes as they move onto land.
• Tornadoes are most frequently reported east of the Rocky Mountains during spring and summer months.
• Tornadoes are most likely to occur between 3 p.m. and 9 p.m.

Emergency Supply Kit

• Water (one gallon per person per day)
• Food (non-perishable 3-day supply)
• Manual can opener
• Battery operated radio, preferably a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert and extra batteries
• Flashlight and extra batteries
• First aid kit
• Whistle to signal for help
• Clothing
• Dust masks or bandanas
• Plastic sheeting, garbage bags and duct tape
• Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities
• Local maps
• Hygiene items
• Important documents such as copies of insurance policies, identification and bank account information
• Cash
• Fire extinguisher
• Matches in a waterproof container

SERVPRO Services

Unexpected emergencies like severe weather call for immediate action. Your local SERVPRO Franchise Professional knows immediate reaction to the disaster is important to helping you get your life back to normal.

Utilizing our 1-4-8 Service Response Guidelines, your SERVPRO Franchise Professional strives to:

• Contact you within 1 hour from notice of loss to arrange for service.
• Be on-site to begin mitigation services within 4 hours of notification
• Provide verbal briefing of scope to you within 8 business hours of on-site arrival.

Here at your local SERVPRO Franchise, we can also perform pack-out services, which is removing salvageable personal property from the affected area for off-site cleaning and storage.