National Preparedness Month Focuses Home and Business Owners on Advance Planning for Disaster Recovery

GALLATIN, TN--(Marketwired - August 30, 2016) - Each September, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) sponsors an awareness event -- National Preparedness Month (http://www.ready.gov/September) -- to encourage both home and business owners to review and update their emergency preparedness and business and life continuity plans. SERVPRO^® encourages property owners to take advantage of the information available from FEMA, because advance planning is critical in dealing with and recovering from the unexpected.

"Most home and business owners have taken basic precautions to protect life and property in the event of an emergency like flooding, fire, wind damage, or even malicious attacks," said Sue Steen, Servpro Industries, Inc., chief executive officer. "In many cases, building codes require clearly marked emergency exits, fire extinguishers, fire and flood drills, and similar preparations. But the missing link for many property owners is a comprehensive emergency plan that provides first responders with the information they need to deal with the emergency quickly and effectively, like the location of shut-off valves, fire suppression system controls, and emergency contact numbers."

SERVPRO offers tools for both commercial and residential property owners to help address this problem. Business and home owners alike can download the free SERVPRO READY app, and store time-critical contact and property information electronically, in advance, where it can be accessed with a mobile device in seconds if disaster strikes. In addition, when a business designates their local SERVPRO Franchise Professional as their disaster mitigation and restoration provider, SERVPRO professionals will conduct a no-cost assessment of the facility and assist the owner in completing a comprehensive Emergency READY Profile^® (ERP). The ERP includes information about emergency contact numbers, priority and high/risk areas, shut-off valve locations and more that can then be stored in the READY app.

"The most effective response to any emergency is a fast response," says Steen, "and that means having critical information available and ready to access at a moment's notice. FEMA statistics show that as many as 40 percent of businesses never reopen after a major flood disaster. Minimizing downtime and repairs with a quick, effective response effort can help prevent this type of outcome for businesses and can also help families put their homes and lives back on track in less time and with less stress. Creating a READY profile in advance with SERVPRO's no-cost tools is well worth the time."

SERVPRO^® specializes in disaster restoration, cleanup and repair services, helping to remediate damage, making it "Like it never even happened," for both commercial and residential customers. For more information on the SERVPRO^® and the SERVPRO^® Emergency READY Program, please visit https://ready.servpro.com/home/mobileapp.

About SERVPRO^®

Founded in 1967, the SERVPRO^® Franchise System is a leader and provider of fire and water cleanup and restoration services and mold mitigation and remediation. SERVPRO's professional services network of more than 1,700 individually owned and operated Franchises responds to property damage emergencies ranging from small individual disasters to multi-million dollar large-loss events. Providing coverage in the United States and Canada, the SERVPRO^® System has established relationships with major insurance companies and commercial clients, as well as individual homeowners.