Emerging Technology in the Disaster Recovery World

Disaster recovery services are constantly developing new ways to approach their work. From drying out flooded buildings to eliminating mildew and mold growth, there is always some new way to go about disaster recovery. Documents must be recovered, buildings must be cleaned and safety must be ensured before a company can return to “business as usual” following a disaster. But just how those steps are carried out depends on current technology. Below, we’ve listed five of the most exciting technologies.

1. ATP meters accurately report contamination levels:

ATP meters test the cleanliness of interior surfaces by showing when contaminants have been significantly reduced or eliminated. For disaster recovery services, ATP meters are a useful way to prove that their work has been effective and that people may safely reenter their homes and offices.

2. Low-pressure soda blasters allow faster, more thorough cleaning of damaged documents:

Soot, mold, and other debris can sully documents following a disaster. Recovery services have a new tool in whisking away such detritus: low-pressure soda blasters.

3. More effective disinfectants reduce BRIs (building-related illnesses) following water damage:

Building-related illnesses may occur following floods, as floodwaters can leave behind mildew, mold and bacteria. When building occupants inhale these tiny creatures, they may experience difficulty breathing, among other health problems. Disaster recovery services are now preventing dangerous microbial growth by spraying antimicrobials onto interior surfaces. As disinfectants become more effective, BRIs are occurring less frequently. Another development in this area is new application technology, which makes it easier to apply disinfectants.

4. Directed heat drying speeds up evaporation:

To dry out a building hit by flooding, disaster recovery services use extraction methods to remove 95 percent of the water in walls and floors. However, until the development of directed heat drying, they had to wait days for the last 5 percent of water to evaporate. Directed heat drying uses heat and pressure to accelerate evaporation. This new drying technology is changing expectations regarding how long post-flood recovery should take.

5. Weighing prevents over-drying:

The nation’s document revival specialists are improving their timing tools for disaster recovery. Documents are now weighed inside vacuum-freeze drying chambers, allowing disaster recovery services to determine when water has been completely evaporated. This prevents over-drying.

We can’t tell you where disaster recovery technology will go next, but we can promise that our own facilities will be outfitted with the most up-to-date, effective tools available.

[ Photo by: kretyen, via CC License ]