Homes and entire communities can experience a considerable amount of damage due to natural disasters and circumstance that cause similar devastation. Heavy weather conditions, tornadoes, and wildfires are all responsible for causing individuals and their families to be displaced. When these situations occur, emergency construction services are usually needed to assist with protecting homes, other structures, and surrounding areas from sustaining further damage.
Losses Caused by Natural Disasters
People and their communities experience obvious physical and emotional ordeals during and within the aftermath of a natural disaster. In addition to these experiences, considerable financial damages also occur. This can be particularly devastating for individuals and families with and without insurance coverage. Even when people do have sufficient insurance or other means to repair and/or rebuild their homes and communities, this also comes at a steep cost.
Insured Losses and Related Data
In 2015, for example. severe thunderstorms comprised $9.6 billion in losses. Given the total amount of insured losses for that year, thunderstorms accounted for approximately 60% of these. Winter storms and cold waves were also responsible for a large percentage of financial loss. These weather conditions caused $3.5 billion, which was almost twice as much as the ten-year average of $1.8 billion.
Drought, heat waves, and wildfires also caused a large amount of insured losses during 2015. This amounted to $1.9 billion. It’s important to note, however, that this was less than the ten-year average of $2.8 billion.
Recent Disasters and the Path of Destruction
The most concentrated destruction occurred in late February of 2015. While tornadoes struck Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio, Harrisburg, Illinois, suffered the most concentrated destruction. Over 225 homes and businesses were either damaged or destroyed. This amounted to approximately $475 million in overall damages.
The Most Widespread Natural Disasters
When a natural disaster occurs in the United States, this is declared by the president. Next to wildfires, floods are the most widespread natural disaster. Some type or level of flooding comprises 90% of these disasters.
Insurance Company Hotlines
When a catastrophic event occurs, such as a wildfire, flood, or tornado, 24-hour hotlines are set up by many insurance companies. The American Red Cross and FEMA also tend to be standing by to provide assistance. Fire departments, law enforcement, and other first responders will arrive on the scene as soon as they are able to as well.
Emergency Construction Services
When families and communities experience a natural disaster, emergency shoring services may be needed to hold back mud slides and other debris. In some instances, an emergency board-up service can protect homes from sustaining damage due to high winds and other phenomenon. In the event that homes and other structures have sustained water damage from floods and the extinguishing of fires, then construction services may be needed to address situation this as well.
It’s important to note that when a moist environment is left untreated, mold will usually begin to grow within 24 to 48 hours. In this instance, home and building owners will need to have mold cleanup and removal, as this can prove to be a serious health hazard. So, too, is asbestos, which can be uncovered during a natural disaster. In this instance, testing for and encapsulating asbestos is an important emergency service.
There are, of course, other valuable services that are available to address these and other situation. Once the imminent danger is over, emergency construction services can assist with determining whether it’s safe for people to remain in the vicinity. Furthermore, they can assist with the rebuilding or restoration of homes and communities.