Monday, August 30, 2021

CSLB Shows You Why You Should Always Get 3 Contractor Bids


Contractors State License Board has a perfect example of why you should always ask for bids from at least three different contractors. This video was recorded in Davis, CA during a Senior Scam Stopper Seminar.

Friday, August 27, 2021

Diamond Certified Resource Commercial – Home Improvement


When you use Diamond Certified Resource you can find local companies rated highest in quality and helpful expertise. Performance guaranteed.

Tuesday, August 24, 2021

How to Use a Fire Extinguisher | Consumer Reports


A fire extinguisher might seem like a simple device, but you would be surprised how many people don’t know how to use one. Consumer Reports’ expert explains how they work.

Saturday, August 21, 2021

Cal OES Speaks on Adhering to Evacuation Orders


Mandatory evacuations save lives. Cal OES Law Enforcement Chief Mark Pazin speaks on the importance of following through with those evacuation orders.

Thursday, August 19, 2021

Extreme Fire Danger in California


ABC News’ Kayna Whitworth is on the frontlines of the exploding Caldor Fire in Northern California as it forces residents to evacuate and destroys structures in its path.

Sunday, August 15, 2021

Need To Evacuate? Use These Tips From Cal Fire


Use these tips from Cal Fire to help the evacuation process to keep your family and your home as safe as possible. 

VIDEO: Joshua Bessex

Thursday, August 12, 2021

How Do Homes Burn Down in Wildfires?


Hint: They're not typically overcome by flames. As historic wildfires sweep the western United States, this episode of Learn Something New™ by NFPA Journal® examines the facts of home wildfire ignition and some of the things homeowners can do right now to protect their properties.

Monday, August 9, 2021

Some Steps to Protect Your Home From Wildfires


If flames ignite, Cal Fire captain and local resident Scott Green knows that firefighters may be unable to save everything that needs saving. So his rural home protects itself. He shows us how to take defensive steps.

Friday, August 6, 2021

Smoke Alarm Testing and Maintenance


Smoke alarms save lives (they reduce the risk of dying in a fire in half), but they need to be working properly to protect you. Make sure your smoke alarms are fully functioning by learning how to test and maintain them, ensuring that you and your household will be properly alerted in a fire, providing the time needed to safely escape.

Tuesday, August 3, 2021

How to Salvage Your Valuables After Serious Flooding

Saving family keepsakes after a storm can be painstaking, but it's worth it


Heavy rain and severe weather can upend your life. And if you're faced with mucking out your house and tearing out saturated drywall, recovering keepsakes and family treasures might seem like a task for a later day.

But saving your valuables can be a race against the clock—mold can form within 48 hours. To help, the Heritage Emergency National Task Force, cosponsored by FEMA and the Smithsonian Institution, has developed guidelines for how to salvage what you want and dispose of what can’t be saved.

The first step is to determine what type of water you’re dealing with—salty, dirty, or contaminated by sewage or chemicals. If your valuables have come in contact with toxic water during flooding, you might have to call a professional conservator because trying to clean them yourself can be a health risk. If the water was untainted, then take steps to reduce the humidity around your items as you work to clean and dry them. Here’s how from FEMA’s checklist:

Save Your Valuables

Prioritize. You may not be able to save everything after flooding, so focus on what’s most important to you, whether for sentimental or monetary reasons.

"We always hear about dollar-amount damages, but often the losses that affect us the most are the ones to which a dollar amount cannot be assigned," says Lori Foley, administrator of the Heritage Emergency National Task Force. "What do you own that you’d miss terribly if you lost it? Photographs of loved ones in frames, albums, or shoeboxes? Books and paintings passed down through generations? Grandma’s recipe box?"

Air-dry. Gentle air-drying indoors is best. Weather permitting, open your windows to increase indoor airflow. If it’s too hot and humid, use fans, air conditioners, and dehumidifiers. Avoid using hair dryers, irons, ovens, and prolonged exposure to sunlight, which can do irreversible damage.

Handle with care. Delicate items can be especially fragile when wet, so be careful when you handle them. Separate sodden materials by removing photographs from damp albums and taking paintings and prints out of their frames. Place white paper towels between every few pages of wet books.

Clean gently. Loosen dirt and debris on fragile objects carefully with soft cloths and brushes. Avoid rubbing, which can grind in dirt.

Salvage photos. Clean photographs by rinsing them carefully in clean water. Air-dry photos on a plastic screen or paper towel, or by hanging them by the corners with plastic clothespins. Don’t let the image come into contact with other surfaces as it dries.

Cold storage. Damp objects and items that cannot be dealt with immediately should be put in open, unsealed boxes or bags. If you can’t attend to items within 48 hours, you can put photos, papers, books, and textiles in the freezer and clean them later.

"In general, you can freeze many items that cannot be dried out in 48 hours – photos, books, documents, textiles," says Foley. "Freezing stops mold from growing, ink from running, and dyes from transferring. Freezing items allows you to buy some time to devote to other activities. When you are able, you can return to the frozen items and recover them on your own time."


Dispose of the Debris

Once the waters recede, residents will be able to go back into their homes and start cleaning up, and piles of ruined household belongings will be put on the curb. Cleanup can take months if not years.

Because mold creates a serious health risk, it’s important to remove wet items from your home as soon as possible. FEMA recommends not waiting for your insurance adjuster before cleaning up. Instead, document the flooding damage on your cell phone or camera. Before dragging debris to the curb, check with your municipality on how it wants you to separate items for the garbage haulers. FEMA recommends sorting items into the following six categories:

  • Bagged household garbage such as food, packaging, and paper.
  • Building materials and furniture, including drywall, carpeting, and mattresses.
  • Vegetation debris such as tree branches, plants, and leaves.
  • Hazardous household waste, including batteries, paints, and cleaning supplies.
  • Large appliances such as refrigerators, water heaters, and air conditioners.
  • Electronics such as TVs, computers, and stereo equipment.

For more information and resources, see FEMA’s After the Flood: Advice for Salvaging Damaged Family Treasures.

Article Source: https://www.consumerreports.org/cleaning/how-to-salvage-valuables-after-flooding/