As Canadians, we're no strangers to a winter deepfreeze, harsh snowfall, wavering temperatures, or freezing rain. Winter is the worst time of year for residential or commercial property damage, which can include ice damming, frozen or bursting pipes, snow build-up, and more. 

If you have fallen victim to one of these unfortunate emergencies, rest assured, there is a process and people that can help you through it.  

What Do I Do First? 

First thing's first: ensure you're safe and out of harm’s way. If you’re not sure whether your home or building is safe following a flood, fire or other type of property damage, head elsewhere to be on the safe side. 

Who Do I Talk To?

There are enough things stacked on your plate when an emergency occurs; you want to know someone is there to help you work through the process. 

First, you will want to call your insurance company and let them know about the emergency that has occurred. At this point, you may begin the process of opening a claim for the restoration work expected. Depending on the type of insurance policy and the coverage you have, you might be able to replace everything that was damaged or affected. Next, you will want to call a local restoration company to start the evaluation and repair process.  

Here is a list of some local restoration companies: 

• Okanagan Restoration
• Stutters DKI 
• Service Master Restore 
• Winmar Property Restoration Specialists 
• Belfor Property Restoration 
• On Side Restoration 
• Total Restoration Services 

An appraiser will then schedule a visit to your home to evaluate the damage and provide you with a quote for any restoration work you might need. Before restoration can begin, you, the insurance agent, and the restoration company will all need to agree on the estimate for the service and the scope of work needed. Once an agreement has been met, a professional contractor will then be able to remove your affected belongings from the site for cleaning and repair, as well as work on restoring the building or repairing any damage to your home.

Instead of having to work with a handful of companies that might not communicate with each other, you can enjoy the ease of working with a single company that oversees and handles all your concerns and needs. 

What Do I Do With Affected Contents?

After the incident, you will need to remove affected items from the house and either pack them up for storage or have them cleaned and restored. Some items are more challenging than others to remove, such as wall-to-wall carpeting. Such items will need to remain in the house and be cleaned on-site. The exact process of cleaning and restoring your belongings depends on the types of items. Soft items, such as stuffed animals, clothing, curtains and other textiles, usually require cleaning, sanitizing and deodorization in order to remove mold, water damage and any lingering odors. Hard items, such as dishes, plates, electronics and furniture, require deep cleaning using specialized equipment. 

When disaster strikes, Secure-Rite heads to the scene to provide relief storage to affected, but salvageable belongings. Shipping containers provide temporary shelter and storage in the event that a home or building is damaged and deemed unfit for content storage. Mobile storage is the ideal solution for disaster relief, as it will provide secure, weatherproof storage right at the affected property. Using a storage container ensures that the contents are safe from further damage and not in the way of restoration work being conducted, while still allowing the property owner and project team to conveniently access the contents when necessary. Once the property is returned to its pre-loss condition, the items inside that container can be put back in place, easily and conveniently.  

 

Whether you just need a little bit of extra space, or something big enough to fit your whole house in, mobile storage is the temporary and movable personal warehouse space that is ready to use as soon as it is delivered, and easily removed once your home is restored!