First Steps to Take in an Emergency

2/26/2021 (Permalink)

When the unforeseen happens, it's good to have a plan in place.

Flooding from a burst pipe. A grease or electrical fire. A natural disaster. 

You hope it never happens to you, but what if it does? What do you do first, and when does your neighborhood SERVPRO team come into play?

First And Foremost

Do not panic. Stay calm and remember that safety is the most critical factor in these situations. Belongings can be replaced, but people cannot. 

Tell everyone to calmly evacuate the premises to a safe distance, obtaining only essential belongings, and only if safely accessible upon evacuation. Once outside, make sure everyone on site is safe and accounted for. 

If a fire or a collapsing structure, or if someone on-site needs urgent medical attention, make 9-1-1 your first call. After that, call your insurance agent.

In the event of a flood, try and move more important belongings to higher places or even higher stories of a multi-story home or commercial property. However, if floodwaters are moving fast enough, they can take you off your feet, so assess the severity of the flood to determine how urgently you need to evacuate.

What To Document

Write down any and every detail you can recall, and remember that no detail is too insignificant. Note anything that seems damaged or out of order. Any further information pertaining to a potential cause is essential.

And once it is safe to do so, don’t forget to capture visuals for your insurance agent. They will usually advise you on when is the right time to do this. Take photos, or even shoot video, on your smartphone if you can.

Contacting SERVPRO

After ensuring everyone is safely evacuated and contacting your insurance agent (and emergency services if a fire dictates it), call your local SERVPRO experts at (405) 252-9400. 

Our phones are manned 24/7, and we can advise on how to proceed, thanks to our free consultation policy. If it’s a small job you can handle yourself, that’s great! If not, there’s never been a job too tough for our team to tackle. 

Save our phone number, and remember that we’ve got your back!