Fires, flooding and earthquakes can cause major water damage to your business, often resulting in many wet documents. In order to recover from such disasters, most businesses require immediate document restoration services to recover critical wet documents. The longer you wait, the greater the chance that your wet documents will grow mold or become irrecoverable.
Indeed, business owners often think that only flooding poses a serious threat of water damage. However, many other types of disasters can also indirectly cause water damage. With this in mind, the following is a look at five common disasters that often result in wet documents and the need for document restoration assistance.
1. Fire
Obviously, fire damage is a serious issue in itself. Not only could you lose your entire business, but document restoration for burned documents is a very difficult process. However, in the case of water damage, even a small fire can trigger sprinkler systems, which will lead to many wet documents. Try to keep your documents stored securely when not in use, and make backup copies of critical files for offsite storage.
2. Earthquakes
In 1962, a magnitude 5 earthquake destroyed entire villages in Peru. This might seem surprising to us, but even a moderate or minor earthquake can cause serious structural damage to your office. Quakes can cause water main breaks and cracked pipes that could also potentially flood your office. Hence, you may need document restoration after a quake.
3. Tornadoes
Like quakes, the main devastation wrought by tornadoes is structural damage. Again, this can lead to wet documents, not to mention missing documents swept up by tornado winds. If possible, keep your documents stored in a basement or offsite location that is protected from possible tornado wind damage.
4. Flooding
Ah, flooding – humanity’s oldest enemy. Going back to the beginning of civilization, flooding was a serious, cataclysmic event. Entire villages and cities were wiped away by great floods. Today, we are lucky enough to have stable infrastructures and many forms of flood control. However, you shouldn’t underestimate the damage that can be wrought merely by excess rainfall. Wet documents can seriously deter your business recovery, so always plan ahead with flooding in mind.
5. Mold
Mold doesn’t really count as a disaster, per se, but it can be a serious concern before or after a disaster. This is especially true anytime flooding or water leaks cause wet documents. Mold can be removed with HEPA vacuums, but you will need to contact a document restoration service to do so.
Remember: Plan ahead and you will not only save your business, but you’ll know what to do in case you are facing a workplace disaster. Last-minute document recovery can be a slow and agonizing process, so it is best to have a disaster response plan in place well ahead of time.
[ Photo by: NASA Goddard Photo and Video, via CC License ]
