Restoration Services Blog

Severe weather and storm damage is a fact of life in Southern Illinois and Missouri. The bi-state metro area sits in a region that experiences some of the most climatically diverse and severe weather in the United States: powerful spring and summer thunderstorms with high winds, hail, and torrential rain; periodic tornadoes; winter ice storms and blizzards; and flooding events from the Mississippi and Missouri river systems that can impact communities across the region. When severe weather strikes, homes bear the brunt of the assault — and water is almost always part of the damage.

Water in your walls is hidden from view, often undetected for extended periods, and silently causes progressive structural damage and mold growth that can ultimately compromise the integrity of your home and the health of everyone living in it. By the time most homeowners discover water in their walls, significant damage has already occurred — and it could have been prevented or significantly reduced with earlier detection and professional response.

Attic water damage occurs through several distinct pathways. Roof leaks are the most common and most direct: water penetrating a damaged or deteriorated roof system enters the attic at the point of failure and spreads from there. The exact failure point may be a few missing or damaged shingles, failed flashing at a chimney, pipe boot, or ridge cap, ice dam formation at the eaves during winter, or simply the accumulated deterioration of an aging roof system reaching the end of its service life.

When water damage occurs, most people's first thought is simply to get the water out. And water removal — extraction of standing and surface water — is certainly the critical first action. But water removal alone does not constitute complete water remediation, and understanding the difference between these two concepts is important for any property owner facing a water damage event.

The connection between water damage and mold growth is direct, predictable, and well-documented. Understanding this connection — and why it matters so much to address water damage completely rather than just cosmetically — can save property owners in Southern Illinois and the St. Louis metro area from a second, more serious remediation project months after they thought the water damage was behind them.

When water damage strikes your home or business, the decision about who to call is one of the most consequential you will make in the entire recovery process. The company you choose will determine how thoroughly and professionally the damage is remediated, how smoothly your insurance claim is handled, how quickly your property is restored to its pre-loss condition, and ultimately how much of your property is saved versus replaced. Not all restoration companies are equal — and in an emergency situation, it can be difficult to evaluate options carefully.