Testimonial from The Congregational Church of Manhasset

Dear Manhasset Clergy Group:

While none of us want to think of emergencies of any type, there is some wisdom to having all your emergency information in place, before you need it. While it was the last thing I had in my mind when Debbie Rashti from Servpro entered my office, I must say there is a comfort in knowing that the Church took this step, just in case. We spent a brief period of time assembling our contacts and now have one, centralized location. As you know, in Church, different people have different responsibilities and information. With this program, everyone has access to the information when needed.

I recommend that you take the time now when you don't have a problem. You know life in the Church! If you would like to discuss this with me, I would be pleased to tell you about our experience with Servpro.

Sincerely, Donna George Marchese

Testimonial from Capital One

SERVPRO TO THE RESCUE!

When we think of Disaster Recovery our first thoughts are those of highly visible and known catastrophes. But there are many unseen and unknown. These seem to be the most difficult to identify and remediate. For these instances an experienced company with extensive knowledge and determination is needed and who better to contact than our friends at ServPro. 

Our first experience with Dan Wallace, Debbie Rashti, and the rest of the ServPro team was one that presented a major challenge in a highly visible and sensitive situation. At one of our locations we had years of water protrusion into our space and while the cause of the water was identified the extent of the damage needed to be fully found, fully remediated, and make the environment safe for our associates and customers. In this one event the damage was so expansive that an entire location needed to be renovated. While this may sound routine, this all needed to be completed within time constraints and without any service disruptions. On first glance this seemed to be an impossible task. How can an entire location, affected by water, mold, and other hazardous conditions operate under the Business As Usual standards with such damage?  The answer: ServPro. 

Dan gathered his team and the external teams of general contractors, electricians, HVAC mechanics, Fire System providers, and janitorial to create one large team and manage a sensitive situation into a fully completed error free success. While all other service providers were contracted by our Capital One Team, Dan took the initiative to manage all of the trades and create schedules so that there was no disruption to our day to day business. The remediation plan was transparent to all associates and customers. A project that should have taken months to complete was completed in less than two weeks. This was all due to ServPro's dedication of around the clock remediation and precious scheduling. 

Our service providers were directed by Dan and his team and also performed in a timely and efficient manner. These providers had given me feedback that they never worked in such a sensitive environment with such time constraints without any chaos of confusion. This was a great experience for all of them and Dan made the situation very easy to deal with. This was just a great team effort with positive results all led by the ServPro team!

Of course then we had the unfortunate event of Hurricane Sandy. We all saw the destruction of this event and like others; some of our locations were affected by this storm. Once the storm settled it was very easy to figure out who we would call to help us remediate our many sites, ServPro. 

Knowing that this would be a very busy time and some situations were more urgent than others, Dan Wallace and his team were very quick to respond and begin assessments and remediation. This was all in motion just a few days after the storm settled. Again Dan had the challenge of working with service providers that were contracted by our Capital One team, but this team the same providers lined up to work with ServPro knowing how easy it was the first time around.  As expected, ServPro worked around the clock to remediate and assisted in having our locations up and running in a timely manner. While this was a devastating experience, ServPro handled this with a great deal of urgency and sensitivity. Another great job. 

Since these events we have had other instances where remediation, time constraints, and sensitivity were needed.  Again our partners at ServPro were there for us. While we always hope there are no catastrophes or disasters, it is always comforting to know that ServPro will be there. They are truly the light at the end of the tunnel and an absolute pleasure to work with. Their dedication and professionalism is second to none.

Congratulations to Dan Wallace and his entire team on so many successful results. You truly are great partners, ones that should last a lifetime! 

Anthony Zissel, Northeast Facilities Director

Capital One Bank

Testimonial from Delux Transportation Services

Being a company that operates 24/7 is a challenge in itself.  However, when disasters strike, they present an entirely new challenge to continue to provide the highest level of customer service while at the same time trying to recover from such disasters. Thanks to SERVPRO we were able to do just that.

We called SERVPRO after a major fire broke out in the building across from our location. Our office was full of residue from the ash and smoke. Since our office is constantly in use we needed the job done quickly and efficiently to regain a safe and healthy environment for both our employees and our clients.

The quality of service we received was outstanding and we were more than pleased with the services they provided. The SERVPRO team that came was incredibly efficient. Over the course of just a weekend our office was spotless, without any lingering odor or residue to be found.  Both employees and clients alike were amazed at how quickly and thoroughly we were able to recover from the fire.

SERVPRO has an excellent cleaning staff, very attentive to details, honest, dependable and very affordable.

SERVPRO of Great Neck/Port Washington - without a question is the best disaster recovery service in Nassau County.

We are very grateful to the entire staff at SERVPRO and although we do not wish any more disasters to arise, we at Delux feel comforted to know that we have a great company like SERVPRO to help us recover.

Andreas Majer, Executive VP

Delux Transportation Services, Port Washington NY

Hurricane Madness: What will it take for you to Prepare?

A hurricane typically starts out as a tropical based storm, with winds that reach speeds of 74 mph or more with torrential downpours.  While Sandy did not present itself in this way, it had the most dangerous element of a hurricane:  storm surge. Storm surge is a dome of ocean water that can reach 20 feet high at its peak along a coastline that can be anywhere from 50-100 miles long.  Nine out of 10 hurricane fatalities are attributed to storm surge.  Sandy was between 14 and 15 feet, but had it hit a couple of weeks earlier or later, when the tides would have been at their highest during the new moon, water levels could haven been much higher! 

NYC is no stranger to storm surge.  In 1821, a hurricane caused the East River to converge into the Hudson River across lower Manhattan when 13 feet of tidewater rose in one hour and inundated wharves.  The Hurricane of 1938 was a category 3 Hurricane whose eye crossed over Long Island and into New England.  Its floods knocked out electrical power in all areas above 59^th Street in Manhattan and in all of the Bronx (and this was with NYC experiencing the weaker “left side” of the storm!) Later on in 1954, Hurricane Carol caused major flooding in the city despite the fact that the sustained winds of over 100 mph were 40 miles east of the city.   In 1960, Hurricane Donna created an 11foot storm tide in NY Harbor that ended in extensive pier damage.  Hurricane Gloria (1985) could have been catastrophic had it arrived at high tide and been just a little closer to the City. In 2011, Hurricane Irene was a precursor to Sandy causing extensive flooding damage to homes along the Atlantic, and this year we are being warned of more of the same.

Aside from heeding the advice of public officials and making sure that you refer to one of the many Emergency Preparedness Lists that are generated at this time of year, one of the most important steps you can take in preparing yourself for a Hurricane is to make sure that you understand what you are (and what you are not) covered for in your insurance.  Considering the extreme weather pattern we are in, and the fact that you do not need to live by the water to have a flood, it is important to know that there is a 30 day waiting period from the time of purchase of flood insurance. Another coverage worth considering ahead of time is water back up.  Despite the $5000 cap applied to this claim, it is more likely to happen as our drainage systems continue to age.

An excellent use of your time is to scan all of your important documents onto a disc.  This way you are covered if you lose or misplace:  your passport, birth certificate, drivers license, marriage license, insurance card, titles (to your house, car, boat and/or motorcycle), social security card, and financial statements (bank, mortgage, credit card, stock & bond portfolio’s, or any other important documentation that identifies you and your assets.)

Advance planning, in general, is key to how you will fare after a disaster.  If you take prescriptive medication, consider getting an advance on a month’s supply as a precaution; and take pre-loss photographs of your insured valuables which you can  archive on the same disc as your documents.  Merchants may not be in a position to make change for you without electricity so now is a good time to create a stash pile for your small dollars and coins.  If you have natural gas, consider getting a quote on what it would cost to put in a generator.  Having a generator for your clubhouse can provide a comfortable place for your members to weather out the storm.  Either way, there are camping supplies such as a crank radio, solar/battery powered lanterns or battery operated phone chargers that are good to have on hand.  A printout of phone numbers for your electrician, plumber, tree service, carpenter, roofer and emergency restoration company are essential considering how quickly they will book up.  The same thing applies to insurance adjusters so make sure that you have the phone number of your insurance company and broker, along with your policy number’s handy so your claim can get into the system as quickly as possible.

Many of these steps can be done once and carried over from year to year.  Research shows that making preparations ahead of time can make the difference between life and death; being comfortable vs. miserable; getting back to business or not. Katrina showed us that our government cannot come to our rescue as easily as we would like.  The better that we can take care of ourselves, the greater chance we have of surviving a large scale disaster.  Despite it’s devastation, Sandy was NOT the Category 2 Hurricane that the insurance industry has been predicting that we are in for.   While we do not have a Chrystal ball, we do have scientific data that points to a more active Hurricane season this year…and after Sandy, it is hoped that we would listen.

In ending, it doesn’t matter if we are having extreme weather because of global warming or not.  What does matter is that we be prepared.  Consider taking steps today BEFORE an emergency arises. Have all your important paperwork backed up on a disc; have all your emergency numbers printed out as a back up to your cell phone; keep your home in excellent working condition and have pictures to prove it,; and invest in camping supplies that could make a huge difference to your comfort during a power outage. The likelihood is strong that we are in for more extreme storm activity whether it be from the Category 2 Hurricane; a torrential downpour that overwhelms the sewage system; or a tornado-like storm that leaves a large swath of land without power for weeks.  We need to take responsibility for ourselves BEFORE disaster strikes.  It can make all the difference.

If you would like a blank Hurricane Preparedness CD sent to your home or community for important documents, please contact our office at 516-767-9600 and they will be glad to provide one at no cost.  Also, unless you have an emergency restoration provider, we suggest you add this phone number to your emergency list.

By Deborah Rashti,  Servpro of Great Neck/Port Washington