Project #3: 100 Year Rain Damages 126 Apartments
Company: Kowalski Construction, Phoenix, AZ
The Job: Identified by The Weather Channel as “The wettest day on record in Phoenix flooded freeways during the Monday morning commute.” caused heavy water damage to 126 apartment units in 26 different 3 story buildings and the 2 story clubhouse/leasing office. This project was located in the East Valley where the highest amount of rainfall was reported. We deployed crews for immediate response to provide emergency mitigation services. This Apartment Community was a recent acquisition and roof replacement was contracted for but not yet scheduled.
The Challenges: The apartment was operating at near full capacity so relocating residents was not an option which meant we had to perform our services in occupied units interacting with and coordinating with all of these residents. Originally called in as 96 damaged units, as new damage was discovered, that count grew to 126 total units before the week was over.
Given the fact that this was the most rain ever recorded in the valley, drying equipment was already heavily utilized. We had to bring in 2 – semi-trucks of rental equipment secured from other states. We employed the security from a security company to guard the equipment until we could create a temporary on-site yard utilizing space in the very back of the parking lot. Being a large property with 27 damaged buildings meant that just delivery and setting up the equipment was quite a challenge.
Demolition was required in most of the units so hazardous materials testing had to be expedited. Microbial growth was present in many of the units requiring us to remediate them which hindered our progress.
Trying to address the most severe damage first and coordinating access with so many units spread across a large property while minimizing disruption to community, staff and residents required tremendous organization. To complicate matters more, the property in an effort to reduce liability wouldn’t allow anyone to go into a residence alone so we had to utilize the “buddy system” which doubled our manpower requirements for 1 person jobs.
The Solution: All of the units were successfully dried while minimizing the amount of demolition required. The club house/leasing office remained open during the entire operation. The impact to the residents, strain on the staff and disruption to the community while unavoidable was kept to a minimum.
Project #4: Water Loss Call Turns to Hoarding Cleanup and Massive Pack Out
Company: Admiral Steamer, Martinez, GA
The Job: Mitigation loss call that turned into a hoarder 1,017-box pack out and remediation.
The Challenges: When we were called for a water loss job, we had no idea the monumental job this would become. At the home, we quickly discovered wecould not get to all affected areas of water, due to an overload on contents. The customer was a hoarder.
We responded at 11 p.m. on a Monday evening and boxed 110 boxes. We quickly extracted water, and pulled up flooding in the dining room and kitchen. Then, we set up the necessary drying equipment and went home for a few hours.
We were back at the home at 8 a.m. the next day with eight men, and three 20-foot box trucks. No one started work until they were informed about the scope of work, and what was expected. The insurance company approved us to continue packing out contents to get to affected areas. We also learned on the second day that the homeowner believed a broken ice maker in the freezer was the source of the leak, and had happened during a weekend when he was out of town – meaning the water had been there at least 48 hours.
While we were able to get nearly all the contents out of the affected areas on day two, we noticed microbial growth and immediately installed negative air machines, and cut off all air movers.
At this point, while we had hundreds of boxes packed, about 2/3 of the structure was still inundated with contents. That’s when we called in the adjuster to take a look.
The Solution: Safety was the name of the game for everyone. All workers were in full Tyvek suits, full-face respirators, boots, and gloves.
After the adjuster took a look at the home and spoke with the homeowner, it was decided we could go ahead with remediation versus full demolition. In all, we packed up 1,017 boxes, and fully remediated the entire home back to a livable condition.
Project #5: Quick Work Saves Printing Company
Company: Master Restoration, Clearwater, FL
The Job: A pumping station failure during a flood in September of 2014 caused a local printing business to flood.
The Challenges: Many businesses and homes saw pretty significant water damage. Interprint, a Clearwater printing company, was the victim of a pumping station failure resulting in approximately 6 inches of water throughout the entire property. They were referred to Master Restoration by their insurance agent.
This was water damage due to flooding, therefore special rules apply in regards to coverage. Typically, flood insurance will refuse to pay to run equipment prior to demolition of affected materials.
The Solution: Master Restoration recognized the importance of keeping the humidity of the building below a certain level in order to save hundreds of thousands of dollars in printing materials from being destroyed. We were able to plead our case and the insurance company agreed to pay for the equipment costs to prevent further damage.
Project #6: Steamy Situation: Hilton’s Burst Water Boiler
Company: Master Restoration, Tampa, FL
The Job: The Hilton in Downtown Tampa was full of guests due to ongoing conferences and a home game just up the street for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The last thing they expected to happen was a burst water boiler at ten in the morning! Luckily Master Restoration does not take time off.
The Challenges: We were called by one of the maintenance managers who had worked with us on a previous job at a different Hilton Hotel. Luckily, the water had affected areas that were mostly unoccupied. The exception being the HR department. The water boiler had burst and drained into the room below, destroying the ceiling and many of the electronics inside.
The Solution: We arrived on scene within 60 minutes and began remediation services immediately.Due to the Hilton Staff’s quickness in calling us, we were able to contain the water and prevent it from going any farther. The remediation portion of the job was completed very quickly, allowing the Hilton to return to business within days.
