Are you “fingertip ready” for South Carolina’s next hurricane or tornado? A tornado touched down in neighboring Rutherford county on 1/11/12 so don’t think our area is immune to such weather maladies!  Paul Davis Restoration & Remodeling of the Upstate is here to help you determine who you should call first in the event of a local disaster. Plus, we share some tips for your out-of-state loved ones.

Hurricane and Tornado Preparedness: The First 5 Calls to Make After These and Other Major Disasters
Who should you call when a disaster strikes your home? In some cases, this depends on the nature of the catastrophe. If a major hurricane has hit the Upstate, you may be in the middle of a natural disaster that is affecting hundreds or thousands of families. In this case, landlines and cell towers could be affected, limiting who you can contact immediately.
In contrast, if a tornado touched down the damage may be limited to a few homes.  It’s still a disaster for you if your house was involved, but you’ll probably have access to more immediate support.
In general, here are the most important calls to make:
1. First Responders – Emergency services are likely to be overwhelmed in the event of a hurricane or tornado. Call 911 only if there is an immediate danger to your life and health or that of your family. Otherwise, contact neighbors or friends to help you out (or so you can help each other).
2. Utilities – A broken gas line or a downed overhead power line can be a serious hazard after a hurricane or tornado. Call the utility company right away to address the issue. Move to a safer area until a crew arrives and corrects the problem.
3. Loved Ones – You’ll want to contact family and friends to let them know you are OK and to check on their well-being. In the event of a major disaster, use text messaging when possible to minimize the overload on the voice network. Get in touch with at least one person who lives outside your local area. This individual may serve as an important contact point in getting you the help and information you need (such as the distribution locations for the American Red Cross or local relief agencies).
4. Shelter – If your home is unsafe or completely destroyed in a major disaster, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) may be able to provide temporary housing. The number is (800) 621-3362 to register for assistance. FEMA may also have vital information about where to find necessities like food and clothing after a disaster.
5. Restoration – Once you’ve ensured your family is safe, it’s time to start the process of rescuing your home. This involves contacting your insurance company, submitting a claim and working with a company that specializes in property damage clean up and repair. Most policies require you as the homeowner to make immediate reasonable repairs to your home following a disaster to prevent additional damage and will reimburse you for these repairs. Don’t wait for a contractor to knock on your door (there will be all kinds of fly-by-night repair companies coming through your town after hurricanes and tornadoes). Be proactive in calling a licensed restoration company that specializes in repairing the specific type of damage your home sustained in the disaster (we suggest Paul Davis Restoration & Remodeling of the Upstate).
Additional Tips:
The amount of warning you have before an event can also affect your communication strategy. Tornadoes come with a different warning time than a hurricane heading to the Greenville/Spartanburg/Anderson area of the Upstate. You might be able to make some of your calls ahead of time rather than after the fact. For example, notify your employer that you probably won’t show up for work tomorrow because a major weather event headed your way is likely to cause damage.
And if you know someone who is experiencing a disaster in their own city, be in contact with them and let them know you’re there to help. You may be able to serve as a resource to them even from thousands of miles away.

"Mom, Are You Staying Warm Enough?" 8 Tips for Your Snowbound Loved Ones After a Storm

Living in the Southeast has many advantages - including not having to endure long, cold winters and snowstorms! However, many of us have family and friends in the Northeast, Midwest, Great Plains and other areas of the country that receive significant snowfall. During these times, we worry about their safety. Paul Davis Restoration & Remodeling of the Upstate wants you to think about how you can reach out across the miles to help those in snowy areas.

No matter where you live, there’s always something you can do to help out the people you care about when they are snowed in:

1. Prolonged power outages can be dangerous for families that are snowed in after a sub-zero blizzard. Since you can’t pick up loved ones and bring them to you, call to give them some helpful tips for preventing hypothermia. For example, they can wall off a small room with thick blankets to create an insulated space that is easier to keep warm.

2. If you have older or mobility challenged relatives, they could be snowed in by even a minor snowstorm. Stay in touch with relatives or neighbors nearby and arrange for them to check on your relatives and dig them out. Make sure they know help is on the way.

3. Have you recently moved from the northern US to an area that rarely has ice or snow? It only takes half an inch of ice to trap people in their homes down South. Your years of experience with driving safely on ice and snow-covered roads could save lives. Offer to run any emergency errands for your loved ones to keep them off the road.

4. Do you have an older relative on a fixed income who is struggling to pay their heating bill? They could be in danger of hypothermia from having their heat cut off while they are snowed in. Many municipalities offer emergency fuel assistance programs that can help keep the heat turned on during severe winter weather. Get online and start making phone calls to ensure that your loved one doesn’t go without.

5. Many cities in warm regions have few snow plows and sand trucks available to treat major bridges and roadways after a snowstorm (look what happened in Atlanta). They probably won’t get around to de-icing many residential streets at all. If you have a pickup truck with four wheel drive, you could organize some salt and gravel to treat the driveway and street in front of a loved one’s house.

6. Maybe you are enjoying a balmy weekend in Florida when you find out on Facebook that relatives up north are snowed in. Spend some time online chatting and suggesting ways for them to stay entertained (and how to keep the kids busy). Just don’t talk about how nice the weather is in your neck of the woods. They may un-friend you forever.