Heavy winds from a Nor’easter ripped the roof from the Oceanview Towers in Long Branch. Photo: newjersey.News12.com.
Water damage restoration teams from Insurance Restoration Specialists, Inc. have been called in to help residents contend with significant property damage from a recent Nor’easter.
The powerful storm blasted New Jersey with heavy winds and rain on January 23, 2017. When it blew into Long Branch in Monmouth County, it left with a large portion of roof from the Oceanview Towers on Ocean Avenue. The six-story building contains over thirty residential condominiums, and it is estimated that almost half suffered from exposure to the driving rain and wind. Long Branch city officials declared the building uninhabitable, forcing homeowners and tenants out until it is deemed safe.
“Water damage from a storm like this is extensive,” says Tom Peter, Vice President of Insurance Restoration Specialists, Inc. (IRS). “When you have wind pushing the water into the building, especially as long as this storm lasted, the moisture has to go somewhere. It will creep into walls, under flooring, and into furnishings – places that just won’t dry on their own.”
IRS’ property restoration water damage specialists bring an arsenal of special drying equipment to ensure that all areas of a property are properly dried. “Hidden moisture will turn to mold problems very quickly,” says Peter. “Wallboard or flooring that appears dry is where mold infestation begins. Once it grows, it turns into a much more dangerous problem for residents.” IRS uses advanced water detection devices to identify problem areas.
For displaced residents, “the added stress of assessing and addressing the damage can be overwhelming,” says Peter. IRS has been brought in by property owners and tenants to get them home as quickly as possible. IRS crews are providing a variety of water damage and storm damage mitigation services, including water extraction, pump outs, debris removal, carpet extraction and cleaning and structural drying. They are able to take water damaged property and furnishings offsite to properly dry, deodorize and store until the property is restored.
“Our goal is to return the properties and belongings to pre-storm condition and to have the residents back into their homes as quickly as possible,” says Peter.
Insurance Restoration Specialists, Inc. is a premier provider of emergency response, remediation and disaster recovery for fire, flood, environmental spills and biohazards in the New Jersey-Philadelphia-New York City area. For businesses and property managers, an IRS Emergency Response Plan ensures having a pre-qualified contractor with a master services agreement, pricing and insurance in place before a disaster occurs.
