When severe weather hits West Michigan, it can spell disaster for commercial properties. Hail, strong winds, flooding, and heavy rain can leave your restaurant, warehouse, office building, retail store, housing complex, or other commercial space significantly damaged. Even relatively short storms can lead to water intrusion, broken windows, damaged roofing materials, and unsafe working conditions that can close your doors not just for hours, but for days or even weeks.
Fast cleanup and restoration are the key to minimizing downtime after a major storm. Here’s how to get started while you wait for help from commercial storm damage experts.
What to Do First
After you call a restoration expert, here is what to do to begin cleanup after a storm.
- Prioritize safety. Don’t enter unstable areas
- Turn off the power to areas that have gotten wet
- Document damage and log all actions taken
- Soak up as much standing water as you can, moving wet towels outside
- Remove soaked items
- Carefully move debris outside, especially anything that has become wet
- Preserve damaged items for insurance purposes. If contents like furniture in waiting rooms have become wet, move them outside
- Do not attempt to separate or dry wet or damaged documents. Wait for an expert, since they are fragile and easy to damage further
How Can Wind Damage Your Facility?
One of the biggest causes of commercial property damage during seasonal storms in West Michigan is high winds. These can tear off your siding, break exterior signage, damage roofing systems, and even send debris crashing into your entryways and windows. Once the envelope of your building is compromised, rainwater can easily seep in, causing more interior damage and mold growth.
Here are common building components that can be damaged by heavy winds.
- Roofing membranes and shingles
- Gutters
- Windows, especially from wind-blown debris
- Exterior HVAC systems
- Loading dock doors
- Ceiling tiles and insulation
Strong winds can also impact your parking lot lighting, outdoor seating areas, fencing, and drainage systems. In some situations, flying debris can create hazards for both your customers and employees. Getting your building professionally inspected after severe wind events can help uncover hidden structural problems before they become larger and more expensive repair issues.
How Can Water and Flooding Damage Your Commercial Property?
Michigan’s heavy rainfall during storm season can create serious problems for your commercial building, especially when small issues like roof leaks already exist. Water can damage all sorts of building materials, including drywall, shelving, flooring, inventory, furniture, and even electrical systems.
When you’re dealing with water damage at your facility, it’s important to act quickly. The longer water can penetrate the items in your facility, the more damage will occur. Additionally, that excess moisture can create the perfect environment for mold and mildew to thrive within a single day or two. Mold not only further damages your materials but can also be very toxic in the air as it releases spores that can irritate respiratory systems.
Our commercial water and flood restoration service involves industrial water extraction equipment, commercial dehumidifiers, and industrial-strength air movers to extract as much moisture as possible from your facility. It’s necessary to have the service done within 24 to 48 hours of water damage to prevent mold growth. We use advanced tools like moisture meters to ensure that materials are dried fully beyond the surface.
How Does Hail Damage Affect Commercial Buildings?
Hailstorms create both visible and hidden damage to commercial properties. Your roofing system is particularly vulnerable, along with windows. Hail can puncture your roofing membrane, break your exterior lighting, damage gutters and downspouts, and damage skylights. This can lead to water intrusion through your damaged roofing system, which creates even more problems.
Many business owners don’t realize that hail damage can weaken roofing materials over time, even if the damage doesn’t appear severe immediately after the storm. Small punctures and cracks can allow moisture to seep into your building and slowly damage insulation, ceilings, and structural components. Fast inspections and mitigation services can help reduce long-term repair costs and prevent more widespread deterioration.
How to Prevent Mold in Your West Michigan Commercial Facility
One of the biggest concerns for business owners and property managers after severe weather is mold damage. Any moisture that gets trapped behind your walls, above your ceilings, or under your flooring can create the ideal conditions for mold to develop. Commercial mold can lead to a variety of different problems, including indoor air quality concerns and health issues for your employees or customers. Mold can also cause structural deterioration of your facility, potential liability issues, and a persistent unpleasant odor.
Fast drying and mitigation services are absolutely key to reducing moisture levels in your facility before mold becomes established. Our commercial restoration company uses thermal imaging equipment, moisture meters, and industrial drying systems to identify hidden moisture at your property so it can be thoroughly dried before mold takes hold.
Emergency Roof Tarping and Repair Services in Kalamazoo, Kentwood, and Beyond
If severe weather has damaged your roof or skylight, it’s important to secure your property to prevent further damage to its building materials. In many cases, roof tarping is one of the most effective strategies to prevent further damage until your roof can be assessed and repaired properly.
Our team will assess the damage to your property and remove any necessary debris while stabilizing the structural integrity of your roof. We’ll establish water diversion systems to prevent additional water infiltration. We can also provide temporary fencing to ensure nobody accesses the damaged portion of your roofing system.
Why Getting Fast Mitigation Services Is the Key
One of the biggest concerns for commercial property owners after storm damage is how much downtime their business will undergo. Every day that your business remains closed leads to reduced revenue, frustrated customers, and even lost income for your employees. It’s absolutely important to contact us as soon as you realize there’s damage to your facility so we can start restoration as quickly as possible.
Fast mitigation prevents unnecessary mold growth and protects existing inventory and equipment that isn’t yet damaged. It reduces overall repair costs and restores safe working conditions. Our fast response helps you preserve important documents and electronics affected by water while minimizing downtime for your business. An organized, structural response will allow your business to recover sooner and reduce the overall impact of the storm on your daily operations.
Professional Commercial Property Cleanup in West Michigan
Paul Davis of West Michigan provides professional commercial property restoration services throughout the entire West Michigan region. Whether you’re dealing with wind, rain, or even hail damage, we can work quickly to mitigate the damage and get your business back up and running.
Contact us at Paul Davis today to schedule your commercial property cleanup in West Michigan.
