Talk of the Town - Whitley County

(Talk of the Town photos by Jennifer Zartman Romano) Above, from left, Tim Hearld of Synergid Construction and Dan Leffers, owner of Paul Davis Restoration, stand near a gigantic dryer unit used to fix water damage in the upper floor of a Columbia City business recently. The company has had crews in Whitley County frequently lately fixing similar water damage and flooding issues and last year, they were involved in repairing flood damage at Columbia City High School and tornado damage in central Whitley County.

By Jennifer Zartman Romano

What do the horrific flooding at Columbia City High School last summer and the tornado that tore through Whitley County on October 26, 2011, have in common?
They were both major disasters and both times, a firm with local connections came in to clean up and return peace of mind for local residents.
Professionals with Paul Davis Restoration were onsite within hours of these disasters, cleaning, rebuilding and returning damaged properties to their original state.
Larwill resident Tim Hearld, owner of Synergid construction, works alongside Paul Davis Restoration, providing building services that compliment that company's remediation work.
"Our crews had several projects in Whitley County during the summer flood of 2010," Hearld said. "The biggest loss of the flood was Columbia City High School."
"We were on site within 20 minutes of the call and had four semi trailers of equipment set within six hours time," Hearld recalls. As a graduate of Columbia City Joint High School, it was quite an experience for him to be directly involved with the cleanup of a natural disaster within that building. "With great planning by the high school administrators, the graduation, which was the same evening as the flood, went off without a hitch at Indian Springs."
As you may recall, flooding didn't just damage the high school -- it effected many homes and businesses as well. "We also had multiple crews responding to homeowners losses in both the floods and tornadoes throughout the county," added Hearld.
As spring approaches, flooding is likely to become an issue for many Whitley County homeowners.
"Some of the biggest issues that homeowners face as the snow and ice melt away are the ice dams that form along the valleys and gutters of the roof," he said. "They are formed when the sun melts the snow on the roof in the warm attic area and then is rapidly cooled as it approaches the cooler overhang. Some homeowners are tempted to chip away at this ice. This causes more damage as the surface of the shingle becomes damaged."
Hearld recommends using a snow melt salt or simply allowing the sun to melt these ice dams away. Resulting water stains on the ceiling inside the home can be easily repaired.
"Another issue that is common in the spring is basement flooding," Hearld said. "When the winter frost is still in the ground, any rain usually is shed across the ground instead of being absorbed. Once the frost starts to thaw, rains further saturate the ground and can cause excessive water to seep into basement walls, flood through basement windows, or overpower sump pumps."
"Check with your insurance agent to see if you are covered on these issues. Minor flooding can be a major expense to your budget if you are not covered," Hearld advised. "Basements are usually the hardest hit in the spring, simply due to the subterranean location. Make sure that your sump pump is properly serviced and that downspouts are clear and have a free path for runoff."
If you discover flooding in your basement or on your roof, fast action is key.
"As in any emergency, a quick response mitigates the crisis," he said. "As soon as you see water in the home, or shingles blown from your roof, you should contact your insurance agent. It not only keeps the cost of a potential claim down, it lessens the damage it can do to your home. Call your agent first and they will suggest a firm that has a good track record for getting the problem under control. Paul Davis Restoration can usually be onsite within an hour of initial contact."
Professionals with Paul Davis Restoration deal with a wide variety of natural disasters -- wind damage, flooding, tornados -- and fires in the home as well.
"Paul Davis Restoration and Remodeling deals with all types of weather related insurance loss as well as new construction and remodeling," Hearld said. "We have the equipment and technicians on staff to serve the northern half of the State with the assistance of our other locations in Muncie, Indianapolis, and South Bend."
You might be surprised to learn that Paul Davis Restoration not only deals with the damage to structures, but they also fix what might appear to be destroyed personal possessions as well. It is surprising and almost magical to watch crews take household items that one might expect to be completely ruined and return them to usefulness once again.
"We are the only company in the area that can handle textiles, contents and reconstruction," he said. "In the event of a fire or flood to your home, Paul Davis Restoration can pack out your possessions, clean them and store them in a climate controlled secure facility until your home is restored and ready for their return.
We have state of the art facilities, and equipment, that not only saves time and money for the insurance companies and homeowners, but the items are cleaner than before the insurance loss."
Returning life for residents impacted by disasters back to normal as quickly as possible is something Hearld and others at Paul Davis Associates feel a strong commitment to.
"The remediation of a project varies depending on the severity of the loss," Hearld said. "Once the authorization has been given to proceed with the work, our staff is on site working to get the homeowner back in their home. A full house fire can take months to restore while a minor flood to a basement may take days. We give job schedules up front to the homeowner at the start of the project as well as progress reports weekly. This ensures good communication with the homeowner, insurance company and contractor."
Hearld said they've been busy in Whitley County in recent weeks, primarily with flooding caused by heavy snowfall we experienced this year.
"There have been no catastrophic floods or fires recently, but the steady stream of leaking roofs (no pun intended), kitchen fires, poor drainage to basements, and wind damage keeps our crews busy, sometimes around the clock," he said. "We have 24 hour on call technicians that ensure a quick response if there is an
emergency at your home, no matter what time it is."
Hearld said that while flooding locally has not been catastrophic at this point, Paul Davis Restoration is working hard in an area heavily hit by recent flooding.
"We have several projects ongoing in Portland currently. We have met with Mayor Hosier and the drying process of an entire town has begun," Hearld added. "The rebuilding of those buildings will take months after the water and mud is removed."
Hearld expects the problems in Portland and other areas to get worse in the coming weeks. "With more rains expected today and over the weekend, I am sure the number of problems will increase," he said. "We still have more than enough equipment and staff on hand with the option of help from our other locations as well."
For more information about Paul Davis Restoration, visit their website at www.pdrneindiana.com or call 1-800-436-7510.