Many Injured as Deadly Storms Strikes in Alabama
January 23, 2012
At least three people lost their lives and dozens of others were hurt when a tornado struck in Jefferson County Alabama near Birmingham early Monday morning. Some of the injured have been hospitalized but the county Emergency Management Agency have not yet released just how many.
The early morning tornado damage has not yet been estimated in dollars because the focus is now on search and rescue. The damage however is being described as “extensive”. Two of the people who were killed were in Cedar Point which was a town that was especially hard hit by the 3:30am storm that caught most off surprise – especially in the month of January as tornado activity is untypical during this month.
Forecasters are calling for heavy thunderstorms today (Jan 23) with winds in excess of 50 miles per hour for the area. The bad weather will slow search and rescue efforts. Officials in Jefferson County say that they will “do whatever it takes” to look for victims in damaged homes and other buildings irregardless of how bad the weather becomes.
Thousands of people in Arkansas are without power as that state also had tornadoes on the ground Monday morning. Forecasters are warning that heavy thunderstorms and tornadoes can do further damage throughout Monday. A twister ripped through an area near Fordyce – a small community an hour and a half south of Little Rock Sunday night, doing damage to homes and knocking down trees and power lines as it moved through.
Alabama’s governor Robert Bentley has declared a state of emergency so that funding is made available to aid communities which have damaged. It may take several days to put a dollar amount on exactly how much damage was caused. It also may be days until many of the tens of thousands of people now without power have their power restored. There are many reports of power lines down in Jefferson County and several surrounding counties.
In the northeastern portion of the country, a quick moving storm system stretching from mid-Pennsylvania eastward dumped twelve inches of snow over the weekend, causing power outages and hazardous driving conditions. In the upper Midwest, freezing rain over the weekend has made roads and sidewalks slippery from south Minnesota into Michigan. This storm activity has resulted in many students having Monday off from school as it was deemed too dangerous to put school buses on the roads.
Hiring A Company To Help With Hoarding Cleanup
January 16, 2012
It is important that you choose the right company to help with hoarding cleanup. Most cleaning companies offer this service but finding the right one to deal with is very important. If you know the requirements you should have before hiring then it will help you with getting the best results. Make sure you take the time to determine your cleanup requirements and speak with the company to make sure they can effectively handle the task.
The main issue with hoarding cleanup is that there are often items of sentimental or actual value that are hidden somewhere in the mess. If you decide to hire a company to help clean up this mess then you will want to consider the items that may get lost in the process. If you make note of the items that you wish to keep then the company will put these aside for you. The company you hire should be reliable enough to sort through everything and put aside valuables such as fine jewelry, electronics, and money. You should provide the company with a list of valuables (such as photo albums, jewelry, etc.) that must be kept so nothing of major importance is lost in the cleanup.
The best thing you can do is speak with the company that you are thinking about hiring. They should be more than willing to discuss which items should be set aside. The company should also be willing to work alongside with you if you wish to oversee the cleanup process and possibly aid in the sorting of certain items. It is a good idea to be there for the whole process as there may be certain items that you did not think about which would have gotten thrown out otherwise. When someone becomes a serious hoarder they may have valuable items that were buried in a pile in their room many years ago so it could be difficult to remember everything.
The final thing that you should consider when hiring a company to help with hoarding cleanup is the cost of the service. You should make the effort to contact multiple cleaning companies and find the best price possible. If you can find any reviews on the companies you are considering then check them to determine which offers the best service for a reasonable price. Lastly, keep in mind that the cost of hoarding cleanup varies tremendously by situation so getting an on-site estimation on how much it will cost would be very helpful.
